The Tango Nadine | Page 1 | First Year Oct. 8th to Nov. 11th Time Skip | Guild Forums

Beyond The Time
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Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2024 4:21 pm

Characters: Michael and Mirabella
Prompt: Tired of waiting for her enemies to fall to ruin on their own, Mirabella has decided to take matters into her own hands. Issuing a challenge to Michael Sera to settle things with him once and for all, she waits him at the coliseum. There, the two of them will determine which one of them is truly the warrior of light.

Posted: Thu Nov 21, 2024 8:00 pm

How very glib. Which was also so very like the Mirabella he had known in the war. Unfortunately, that meant that in the last year she had changed very little. If at all. The letter was a thinly veiled threat, if it was even veiled at all. How he'd hoped that things could be different. That they would learn to move on with heavy hearts and possibly even be friends now that they weren't constantly being compared to one another.

Apparently that had all been a silly pipe dream.

Pressing his thumb and index fingers into his closed eyes like it would alleviate the pressure behind them, the soft echo of his footsteps halted as he exited the archway into the arena of the coliseum proper. Only and idiot wouldn't know why they were called here. While Mike wouldn't say he was a genius by any means, he also wasn't nearly that stupid. Dropping his hand, he looked up to the first tier where the duchess of light sat in the king's box waiting for him. How very typical of her. Always one for the show.

Stepping further into the dusty arena, he held up his hands in a shrug to the woman waiting for him. "Alright Mirabella, I'm here. What was so important we couldn't just have a conversation about it?" It was a rhetorical question, but one he asked anyway. Michael knew what she wanted. Ever since the end of the great war and the "betrayal" of Marie, his wife's lover had been angry. It was so wholly complete that her rage seemed to seep into her bones and keep her going. And in a way, that was something he was jealous of.

Since the death of Nadine he'd been half of himself. No, since before. The announcement of their engagement had been a shock to him. One that had spread into this hopeful thing once he met his would-be wife and the idea that they could grow into a beautiful love that would become the foundation for his duchy to grow on. But once their parents were out of the room, the sharp words and hurtful comments had started. How it was such a shame that someone like him looked the way he did. How he'd just be so handsome if it hadn't been for the scar ripped across his cheek. Over time those harsh words had grown worse, and he'd grown so meek.

A meekness that still permeated him. Michael had grown so afraid of the space he was taking up in the world that he couldn't remember the last time he'd let himself get frustrated. Yet here, now, it rolled off of him in waves. "Well?" He called up to the king's box, his green eyes shifting to blue as they narrowed from Mother Sun's rays. "If we're going to do this, I'd rather get it over with and get on with my day."

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Coliseum ☀︎ Mirabella ☀︎ Fit

Kumako Shock
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Beyond The Time
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Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2024 11:18 am

ＭＩＲＡＢＥＬＬＡ ☀ ＲＯＵＳＳＥＡＵ
ＤＵＣＨＥＳＳＯＦＡＬＯＲＥ

The Warrior of Light.

It was a superficial title, especially when given to someone from Alore. After all, soldiers from the land of light were technically all warriors of light. By what merit could you give that title definitively to any one individual? The strongest? The bravest? Perhaps, but to whose absolute authority did that decision fall upon? The king? Mother Sun herself? Was that a title that would be passed on from person to person as generations went by? Or would it be something held by one individual for all eternity?

To Mirabella Rousseau, the answer was the latter. When she first attempted to join Alore's military through the proper channels as opposed to using her political position to secure her high ranking, she was laughed off. And for good reason; she didn't know s**t about real combat. But Mirabella didn't let that be the end of it. She hired the greatest instructors for swordplay and hand-to-hand combat that she could afford, and she got to work. Day in and day out, with and without Mother's light empowering her, she learned to become something they couldn't turn away again.

When the fateful start of her second attempt at enlisting came, a fellow duchess who was already among Alore's soldiers asked if she'd like her to put in a good word. The scarlet-eyed warrior, with hair now shimmering in that same hue, told her that all she needed to do was stand back and watch. Not only did Mirabella end up completing her basic training successfully this time, she excelled at it. She was told that she was one of the best there'd ever been and that it was especially impressive considering the tourist attraction of a duchy she came from. That man hadn't expected to get decked in the face immediately after, but that was what he got for his troubles. Before storming off, Mirabella informed the lowlife of two things:

1. To never again doubt the potential of her duchy or her lineage.
2. To rest assured that she wasn't stopping at being one of the best. She would be the best.

That night, the duchess from before approached her again. She was quick to chastise Mirabella for her reckless behavior, to which Mirabella scoffed. After saying that, however, the woman also gave her praise for how far she'd come in such a short period of time. The other duchess placed her hand on Mirabella's, once again emphasizing just how powerful and dazzling she was. But more than that, she told Mirabella something no one had said to her quite in the way the other duchess could: the woman believed in her. In her strength, her tenacity, and her potential to do great things in the name of Mother Sun. It wasn't just her words, though; it was how she said it. The woman had a confidence in herself not dissimilar to Mirabella, and it felt like she just got it. Got her. And that together they could show the world that no matter how bleak the forever war became, the glorious light of radiant Alore would outshine all others. Enamored, Mirabella finally asked the woman for her name. The other duchess came up close and, with a voice that demanded you pay attention to every mellifluous tone, she introduced herself.

Her name was Nadine.

When Mirabella was with Nadine, she felt as though she could take on the world and then some. She had this way of building you up, always knowing exactly what your doubts were without having to say a thing to her. For as guarded a woman as Mirabella was, Nadine slipped through her every defense and melded herself into the core of Mirabella's being. They'd speak on end about their dreams for their homeland and of how they would ensure through their words and their blades that no malicious force would ever break through their walls again. The two of them would show all that oppose radiant Alore that their light could not be put out. Mirabella learned a lot about herself during her time with Nadine...and also found herself enjoying more from the woman's lips than just her words.

A strong alliance soon became an unwavering love, and to Mirabella, it felt as though Nadine was the only person in the world who could truly understand her. The only one who could truly love her and the monster she'd become with Nadine and Mother's support. She always had a lust for competition, for combat, but with their combined guidance it had become something else entirely. She'd become a woman feared by those who knew her name, and it was all so...intoxicating. The battle highs she got when she knew she had Nadine by her side were like none she ever experienced before, and that she could do so for Mother's sake only made it all the more all-consuming for her. But it came at a price; with all the blood she spilled for her country, she knew that it truly was just Nadine who could accept her in her entirety. And in her heart, she also knew that Nadine felt the same. She must have.

One night, the two of them were in each other's arms after a long, grueling battle. There was mutual praise spoken between the pair, but Nadine was especially impressed by Mirabella's brutality. The scarlet-eyed duchess turned away at first, expressing doubt about her actions. Was this truly what she was meant to be doing? As much as she loved to battle, especially whenever her Stilicidian knockoff was involved, was this truly all that she was? She'd gone so deep into this road for her that she was scared that she'd missed other paths along the way.

Nadine let her finish before embracing Mirabella tightly. She reassured her lover that she had nothing to regret and that what she'd done was for the greater good. Not only that, it had served Mirabella's personal interests as well. Nadine reminded her that this was what she always wanted: to be powerful, to be respected for her own merit alone, and to be able to continuously push herself beyond all limits without anything holding her back. For that, and for everything else that Mirabella was, Nadine whispered into her ear that she was a greater warrior than anyone ever expected her to be and to take pride in that. After all, she was not just a warrior of light; she was the warrior of light. Her warrior of light. It was a superficial title, but coming from Nadine's loving lips it meant everything for Mirabella to be granted it. Mirabella started kissing her lover and didn't stop until long after sunrise the next day. Nadine was her everything, and she wanted to make sure that her lover knew it. With Nadine, Mirabella could do anything. And no matter what, she would never leave Nadine's side.

Unfortunately for both of them, however, all fairy tales end at one point or another.

Not long afterwards, word was sent to Nadine that she was off to be married to a duke who'd been sitting pretty while the two of them fought tooth and nail for their country. The two of them did everything in their power to try and call it off, to stay together, but it seemed as though there were forces stronger than the two of them together after all. Still, this did not stop the warrior of light. At every opportunity, she stayed by her lover's side as Nadine faced the great injustice of being forced into a loveless marriage to a worthless man who could do nothing right. Nadine would often tell Mirabella of how little this man meant to her and reassure her lover that she was the only person in the world that she had eyes for. When Nadine left the battlefield to play her part as bride, Mirabella followed suit. It was there that she first laid eyes on a man she'd come to despise with all of her heart from that moment onward: Michael Sera.

As if things weren't bad enough, the pair were forced to have Nadine's new husband accompany them into the battlefield as a sign of true alliance between the two duchies. Day in and day out, time that would've been spent with just them turned into Nadine teaching Michael combat as best as she could. What was even more annoying, however, was just how keenly he learned. He was like a little sponge that absorbed every bit of information that Nadine told him, adapting to her form of combat as if it were made for him. It was nauseating. Soon enough, he'd come to be known as Michael the Untouchable. Michael the Unbeatable. If only his enemies knew that a ******** pebble on the road was more than enough to make the uncoordinated ingrate fall flat on his face. Any praise shown to a homewrecker like him was completely undeserved in Mirabella's eyes.

Unfortunately, everyone else seemed to think otherwise. At one point, Sera had even become so popular among their comrades that he began to be spoken of in higher regard than his instructor or the warrior of light herself. And there was the ever-humble Sera, always so quick to turn away their gaze as if that didn't do anything but make them all the more enamored with him. He may have fooled the country with his good guy act, but not Mirabella. After all, he must've had some sort of insidiousness in him with the way that even Nadine herself began defending him to Mirabella. She wasn't so bewitched to forget about their love for each other, but Nadine nonetheless began telling her warrior of light to ease up. The Nadine that Mirabella knew would never ask her to ease up about anything, let alone something like this. What putrid trance had he gotten her in? And why couldn't she snap her out of it? They were supposed to be able to do anything; she was supposed to be able to do anything. She was the warrior of light, her warrior of light. So why did it feel like everything they'd built together was falling apart!?

Eventually, Mirabella couldn't bear to be around either of them anymore: Michael for his ignorance and Nadine for her growing resignation to her fate. Her lover's dulcet voice could provide her comfort no longer, not like this. Mirabella transferred to another regiment, which was easy enough as her name and duchy had long since been irrelevant to the story of Nadine and Michael Sera. It was heartbreaking to do, but she simply couldn't take it anymore. The frustration, the jealousy, the constant reminder that she was so intrinsically wrong for this world—it was just too much for her. But in the back of her mind, Mirabella wished her lover the best. That being said, she could follow her path no longer. Before leaving, the two fought about it as Nadine caught wind of her transfer request before it had been finalized. However, there was nothing she could say or do to appease Mirabella, as the one thing that the warrior of light asked for was something she was simply unwilling to do at this point.

That would be the last time either of them spoke to one another.

Not long after Mirabella had been transferred, her Nadine left this world. Mirabella was given word of the injuries she'd suffered and rushed to her side, but only got there in time to witness her very last moments in this world. And there was Sera, still untouched. Still so ******** pristine. Had she not fought hard enough for Mother? Had she done something to upset she who shines above all so supremely that she'd been punished with this tragedy?

No. She had fought relentlessly for her country and did everything in her power to keep what was most precious to her from slipping out of her hands. But at every opportunity, those who lacked such conviction failed her. Sera failed her by failing to protect his oh-so-precious wife, whom he swore he loved. The healer assigned to Nadine failed her by not being to perform the basic ******** function of her position. To add insult to injury, even the great Marie Ann Gunter failed both Mirabella and all of radiant Alore by turning a total victory into a perverse peace. On the day of the armistice, Mirabella didn't attend to avoid vomiting in front of such a large crowd. In hindsight, she wished she'd stayed for that as well. She'd kept letting things fall into the hands of fate: expecting a husband to protect his wife, expecting those who'd perform the most heinous of crimes to be punished by the world like she had. But every step of the way, those truly deserving of judgment went scot-free time and time again.

That was when it hit her: what force could truly make them pay for their wrongdoings other than Mother Sun's chosen soldier herself? They were not for the world to deal with; their reckoning was the warrior of light's responsibility alone. In the spirit of that revelation, she sent a challenge to Michael Sera via letter. After all, he was the first to wrong her. It only made sense that he too would be the first to fall to her vermilion vengeance. As night turned to day once more, Mirabella took her seat at the king's box of the coliseum, half expecting him not to show. After all, cowards like him so rarely came forward of their own volition to receive judgment. However, she was pleasantly surprised to hear footsteps approaching right at the designated time. Smirking, scarlet eyes peered below with deadly intensity as Sera's form came into view.

"Alright Mirabella, I'm here. What was so important we couldn't just have a conversation about it?"

You know exactly what, cretin.

As he approached, her gaze and the furrowing of her brows were the only things that moved as she drank in the moment. It wasn't often that Mirabella was able to look down on Sera in such a literal sense, so she decided to savor the moment a little. Besides, this would likely be the last time she'd get to do so considering he would not be leaving this stadium alive. To turn one's blade against their own countryman was not the way of radiant Alore, or so it was said. But if that were truly the case, his filthy duchy, carried by the merits of nepotism alone, wouldn't have stolen her Nadine from her. If anything, this act was simply a counterbalance. An eye for an eye, Mirabella couldn't give a single ******** if it made the whole entire world ******** blind. She'd been denied retribution for far too long, and today that would end.

"Well? If we're going to do this, I'd rather get it over with and get on with my day."

"Because sun forbid the great Michael Sera be inconvenienced, hm?"

Brunette hair changed to brilliant scarlet, and the warrior of light lept from the king's box to the arena. A cloud of dust shot out from around her point of impact, somewhat obscuring her form but unable to hide her shining silhouette.

"Luckily for the both of us, your day won't be an issue for much longer."

As the dust settled, Mirabella stood with her blade drawn towards him. As hatred burned within her, her light shined brighter than anyone besides Alkmene and Bonita had ever gotten to see before. Well, anyone who was still alive anyway. If she was going to do this, she would still honor Sera by showing him the full extent of her fury. Only then would he understand the gravity of what he'd done to her. What he'd stolen. Today she would revoke from this man the title of "unbeatable." Today she would prove to Mother Sun herself that she is truly her strongest soldier. She hadn't required any other audience, but if there was truly an afterlife, she hoped that Nadine was watching and that she understood that Mirabella's actions today were for her. For both of them.

"If things aren't clear enough by now, Sera, we are to duel! The stains you've left upon this world...upon my very soul...are too plentiful to ignore any longer! THIS ENDS TODAY! If you've truly come to face the consequences of your actions, raise your blade so that I may show you why it is I who is truly the one and only warrior of light!"

While Mirabella was normally loud, this declaration was one she screamed at the top of her lungs so that there were zero misunderstandings. This was no friendly sparring match; it was a duel to the death. Only one person would walk out of this coliseum alive...and it was not going to be him.

Location: Colosseum
Company: Michael
OOC: Outfit, Sword

Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2024 8:58 pm

"Because sun forbid the great Michael Sera be inconvenienced, hm?"

It took effort not to roll his eyes as Mirabella did her favorite thing in the world and shifted her hair to scarlet. How very predictable. The summons she had sent him had made her intentions incredibly clear, but apparently not enough for him to harden his heart enough not to hope things could be different. Mother above, maybe Nadine was right. Maybe he was too soft.

As Mirabella dropped down before him, it was easier to see just how stupid his hopefulness had been. The redhead was in full armor, as if they were back in the war. A small part of him wished he'd had the foresight to dress in kind, yet... Michael had, hadn't he? In a way, this was no different than about seven months ago when he had pitched himself off of that cliff. When he'd received the letter he'd known it would come to this moment, her claymore pointed directly at him like he was enemy number one. And wasn't he? It was nearly a year ago he should have taken that bolt. The fact that he was standing here now was stolen.

"If things aren't clear enough by now, Sera, we are to duel! The stains you've left upon this world...upon my very soul...are too plentiful to ignore any longer! THIS ENDS TODAY! If you've truly come to face the consequences of your actions, raise your blade so that I may show you why it is I who is truly the one and only warrior of light!"

Every stolen breath was one Mirabella was likely unwilling to let him forget.

"For the record, I don't want to do this." They were futile words, ones that he let slip regardless. "I have no quarrel with you, Mirabella." No, he hadn't been close enough with his wife's lover to have any personal issues with her aside from the obvious. Who would have been?

Those wounds of watching them were scarred well into his heart. How naive he had been, knowing that Nadine had picked him gave Michael a hopeful confidence when they had their marriage meeting. Oh how the beautiful blonde woman had doted on him, made him feel special. How his mind had wandered back to his nursemaid and butler and they love they had. The love he one day longed to find. It had been a dream to think that they could one day find that together and peacefully merge their duchies together. He'd so badly wanted the dream he'd been sold. Enough that he had agreed after the first meeting to the request, much to the delight of his parents.

But it had been Nadine that pushed the wedding date up. Nadine who seemed less interested in doting on him as time passed. Her disinterest had started to show during the engagement, but Michael had let his parents convince him it was just cold feet. That once they were married all would be well. And blindly he let himself believe them. Then once the wedding happened it all stopped. Slowly her words turned more bitter. Mirabella was introduced to him, with no secrecy of who she was to his wife. The only words of comfort he was given was that maybe someday, if Mike could just become good enough, Nadine would truly love him.

Every time he saw the two of them together like school girls, it was only more nails in his heart that he needed to learn to deal with as they were mercilessly hammered into him. How could he ever forget who Nadine had actually loved? It certainly had not been him. She had made sure Michael knew that with every jabbing comment, every need to point out how less than perfect he was. How perfect the woman before him was in comparison. Every opportunity Nadine had not been shy to point out how beautiful and unmarred her lover was. How well she could satisfy.

Yet, he knew her well enough. This was not something he could talk Mirabella out of. There as only one nice thing about all of this. Because of her powers, Mirabella had picked the daylight hours. Which meant he could pluck the Mother's finest rays to defend himself with. His own two-handed sword swirling into existence with the Mother's blessing.

Closing his blue eyes for a moment, he exhaled. Mother above, Michael did not want to do this. He'd already voiced it aloud, but even that wasn't enough to fully express how little he wanted to be dealing with this right now. Why couldn't they just sit on the beach and talk about their feelings like well adjusted human beings. Then again, He thought, snapping his purple eyes open to catch the arch of Mirabella's blade with his own. Apparently he had left his eyes closed too long and she was tired of waiting for him. I suppose we aren't well adjusted at all. His brows turned in empathy as he pushed her blade back, thinking back to just how he'd spent this last year.

One sad attempt to die after the other. All unfulfilled. All entirely halfhearted. Mother have mercy, he was such a coward. Even now all he was doing was dodging and blocking Mirabella's blows. Maybe it was time to shed some of that cowardice. Shifting from defense to offense, Michael took a swing at her. As he did so, the blade in his hands shifted, blunting. While he didn't want to actually harm her, it hadn't mattered. The blow didn't connect. But it did bolster his confidence, finally saying something in this strange death match he had found himself in.

"If I had known before the wedding she loved you, I never would have gone through with it."

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Coliseum ☀︎ Mirabella ☀︎ Fit

Kumako Shock
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Loyal Lover

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Beyond The Time
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Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2024 10:40 pm

ＭＩＲＡＢＥＬＬＡ ☀ ＲＯＵＳＳＥＡＵ
ＤＵＣＨＥＳＳＯＦＡＬＯＲＥ

Just looking at Sera made Mirabella's blood boil. Always so mild, so ******** dopey. What got in his head to think he was ever deserving of the dazzling soul known as Nadine? But that was just like a Sera, really. His entire duchy was built by coasting off of their relation to the royal family. Despite being mere farmhands, their connection to House Aelius awarded them many a thing that they hadn't earned by their own feeble merits. And much like how the Sera family had been awarded so much for doing ******** all, so had their prized duke.

"For the record, I don't want to do this. I have no quarrel with you, Mirabella."

"You forfeited your right to say we have no quarrel long ago! Now are you going to keep complaining or START FIGHTING ME!?"

See? He was always so ******** annoying! Always playing the role of a chivalrous gentleman. Never angry, never vengeful, always acting so not bothered by anything and everything around him. The only times the ******** even shouted was when he stubbed his toe and got a boo-boo. Such a sensitive soul, they'd say. Poor, poor, melancholy Michael. If only they knew just how much of a disappointment he constantly was.

In this case, all he had to do was fight. It wasn't as if he was bad at it, so why did he have to make this such a hassle!? "Remember this, Sera: I GAVE YOU THE CHANCE TO STRIKE FIRST!" Tired of having to wait for the piece of s**t before her to show any sort of initiative, Mirabella charged forward to make the first strike. With the way she swung her blade at him, one would think that their eyes were malfunctioning. The greatsword struck down towards her target as though it were a simple stick but carried with it a weight far greater than something a normal person could wield. This was the power of Mirabella Rousseau, the power of Mother Sun herself.

And yet...she didn't get the hit. Despite her strength, her tenacity, her burning rage, all she could do was watch as Sera deftly parried her blow. But that was always his power: existing like some sort of impregnable fortress. After her darling Nadine taught this swine how to swing a sword, self-defense became his sole obsession in regards to combat. And like Mirabella herself, he too was a perfectionist. So why was he so insistent upon strictly acting in self-defense when he knew better than to underestimate her own offensive capabilities? Did he...did he think himself better than the warrior of light? He wouldn't dare. Couldn't he tell how important this battle was? Did he truly consider himself so above all this? Then again, she reminded herself, she should not be too surprised. It was just as Nadine said: those of the Sera duchy could not understand matters of the heart, for they did not have one.

Strike after strike, nothing worked. Despite having the advantage in speed and strength, Sera had a way of positioning himself that was so flawlessly defensive that he barely had to move an inch to keep himself out of harm's way. Or at least that was the case on the battlefield. The 180 Sera did regarding situations literally anywhere else was usually quite hilarious, but right now the disparity only served to further stoke the flames of vengeance within Mirabella. Leaping high into the air, she twirled rapidly at a horizontal before crashing down with her blade once more. And yet there was Sera, flawlessly deflecting her like the so-called great champion everyone made him out to be. Pushing herself back from the class of metal and light, the duchess landed on her feet and assumed a stabbing stance with her blade.

"Y'know what? I'm glad you're putting up so good of a fight! I'd been worried I was going to break you too quickly for this to be any fun!"

With that, a wild grin grew on her face as she sprinted with a speed that most full-blooded Alorans would never be able to reach. It was far from the blinding quickness of a Mercurian, but it was also better than Sera would ever be able to do. This mirrored Mirabella's own position compared to his when it came to physical matters: she would always come out on top. Thrusting her blade forward, Sera made a last-second leap to avoid her horizontal swing. If only that would do you any good! Owing to her strength, Mirabella made a vertical swipe across that Sera could only barely keep himself from getting injured by. He was starting to crack. He had to be.

Not giving him time to recover when he landed, Mirabella lunged for him with a downwards slash of her greatsword. Sera spun to the side, and Mirabella instead found herself with a weapon lodged into the ground instead of a vanquished foe. Immediately, Sera took the opportunity to go for a horizontal swipe with his blade of light. Unfortunately for Sera, Mirabella had seen this sort of swordplay before: it was a reproduction of moves first mastered by her beloved. With her blade stuck in place, Mirabella momentarily abandoned it to duck down. Kicking up into the air again, she spun back. As she did so, she caught a glimpse of his sword and found something rather odd. Had he...?

"If I had known before the wedding she loved you, I never would have gone through with it."

Mother's searing heat burned through Mirabella's veins. "...Excuse me?" Did he really think that she ever wanted to hear those words come out of his mouth? Did he think sentimental s**t like that mattered now? "If you had known? IF YOU HAD KNOWN!?" Mirabella leapt into the air again, this time smashing down with her fist. Michael went back to escape, but the warrior of light got what she wanted: she was with her weapon again. Despite the disparity in strength between them, she couldn't help but be the one jealous of him in moments like this.

At any point in time, there were unlimited options in terms of what weapons Sera could produce with his self-made light. Mirabella had Mother's blessing, sure, but such versatility was nothing to scoff at either. Perhaps that was why Nadine allowed herself to devote such time to him; he was clearly good for something at the very least. But not enough. Michael Sera would never surpass Mirabella as a warrior, for she was the warrior of light. None were her equal, and certainly not an insensitive harlot who only tried to act apologetic long after it stopped holding any weight one way or the other.

"First you have the nerve to insult me with that toy sword of yours, and then you dare act like it would've mattered whether you knew or not?"

When news of the engagement first came to Mirabella's doorstep, Nadine had told her in kind about how she'd likely been scouted by a mole within the army that worked for the Seras. After all, what other reason would they have to choose her over one of the many ladies-in-waiting living far away from the battlefield? And if they gained interest after seeing Nadine's prowess in battle, it couldn't have been ruled out that they saw other things too. It had been very likely that the mole had at least some inkling of their partnership and that she'd been forced into this marriage despite her already having a partner. Thinking about that conversation in relation to Sera's pitiful attempt at making amends sent Mirabella's heart rate into a frenzy.

Releasing the blade from the ground, Mirabella slowly walked towards the man who ruined her life far before Marie ever got a chance to. "Let's face facts, Sera. You and your sorry excuse for a lineage, who only gained power when they leeched it off of others, cared not for our circumstances. There's not a thing in the world that would've stopped you all from taking her from me and you know it!" The twitch of her eyebrow signaled a quickening in pace. The warrior of light gave her enemy a scowl that only scratched the surface of her righteous fury. A spirited walk became a sprint, then a mad dash as she spun her blade towards Sera once again. Knowing she'd be blocked, she used the momentum to spin opposite once their blades clashed and tried again. Another block. However, she was far from finished.

Immediately after the second clash of blades, the warrior of light used Sera's all-encompassing stance and slower speed to her advantage. In an instant, her right leg swung up for a roundhouse kick. Dodge. Dropping her blade, she leapt up and over him before going for a flurry of punches instead. Even if he had better precision, he likely lacked the stamina that Mother afforded her. This was a game of who would tire out first, and it was not going to be Mirabella. Scarlet eyes meticulously scanned the way he weaved her blows, dipping down for a leg sweep. If I'm right, he'll...leap up again! Stopping midway, she arched back to push herself into the air with both arms. Bringing her legs together, she went for a dropkick that he only just got himself from facing the brunt of.

The lady of shimmering scarlet took deep breaths. It wasn't as if she didn't tire at all, after all; Mother's strength granted her greater stamina, but it was not limitless. A human body simply wasn't capable of that. Having landed in a crouch, she picked up her blade and arose before turning to Sera once more.

"If you keep insulting me by holding back like that, you will die. Is this truly how you wish to meet your end? Like a coward!? How someone like you could ever think they could be a fit for my Nadine is beyond me. But I suppose that's why you had to use the leverage of your bloodline to take her from me, right? You and your duchy knew that was the only way they'd ever have someone so great be attached to their name instead of always being attached themselves."

Circling Sera like prey, scarlet eyes narrowed in on their target as a smirk grew on her face. "You may fool everyone else, Sera, but not me. You're no saint. And there isn't a single thing you could say to me..." Going for a dash again, both of Mirabella's hands fiercely gripped the hilt of her blade as she swung at her cowardly opponent on a diagonal with all of her and Mother's combined might.

"THAT WILL PARDON YOU FROM RETRIBUTION!"

Location: Colosseum
Company: Michael
OOC: Outfit, Sword

Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2024 7:00 pm

Ah. Apparently that had struck a nerve. An extremely raw nerve from the sounds of it. For now Mirabella was pitching a fit at him with far greater vigor than before. There was something impressive about her gift from the Mother. How she could harness the rays of the sun and turn it into speed, strength, and stamina in a way no other Aloran Michael knew could. If only she could also harness it to have a goddessdamned heart or just a few more braincells.

It was as if the self proclaimed warrior of light was so used to being allowed to blow smoke up her own a** that she had spent most of this fight between them letting off whatever steam had been building up within her. Trying to send small little jabs at him like he would not - no, like he could not be affected. Michael had known her opinion of him was low. But when had her opinion of him been buried beneath the dirt they stood on?

There was only one thing that made sense in his mind. Only one person who could have swayed her opinions so low. The realization cut worse than any stone or fence or knife. If this was truly how Mirabella felt about him, then there was only one woman who would have had any sway over Mirabella's opinion. Only one woman who had told him if he could just do better... Just be better, then she would love him. Maybe that dream had been so much further off than he had realized.

"You may fool everyone else, Sera, but not me. You're no saint. And there isn't a single thing you could say to me... THAT WILL PARDON YOU FROM RETRIBUTION!"

"DO YOU THINK I WANTED THIS?"

Catching the horizontal swipe of Mirabella's greatsword with his, his own purple eyes met her red ones as he was shifted back from the sheer force of the blow. All of her bitching and whining had finally snapped something within him and the words had left Michael's mouth in a roar. Scraping their swords to push the ever so righteous Warrior of Light back, Mike shifted his sword once more to have a blade as he circled his wife's lover. "Do you know what it's like? Desperately wanting to be loved while only being compared to you?" He spit the final word out like a curse as he moved in.

It was a fight she came here for and, by the Mother above, he would give her one. Whirling on her, Michael didn't expect to hit her. As her blade came up to block he just wanted to put her on the defense for a moment. He'd given her time to say her piece. There was no more he wanted to hear. Not when he was realizing that Mirabella's truth wasn't lining up with his. That could only mean one thing. Nadine had been playing both sides. The idea was enough to make his stomach roll.

They were now truly in a tangle of blades. Another blow, another parry. Each one directly after the last. Which was fine by him. If she was on the defense maybe she would hold her tongue and let Mike speak instead of just rattling off her hurtful bullshit.

"She found me. Sat me down like a good little dog and sold me a lie of wanting to find a good man who could help her build Alore back up to it's true glory. Or did she conveniently forget to tell you that she proposed to me. I was the idiot who believed her! Imagine my surprise after the wedding when she pulls a lover - another woman - out of her back pocket and tells me it's now my job to put on a performance to earn the love she vowed to me at the altar before Mother Sun!"

That seemed to shock the Warrior of Light enough to give him a moment to catch his breath. While he was a seasoned soldier, it didn't make him some kind of machine that could fight non-stop for hours. The last decade had been spent honing his skills, but that didn't make his lungs not burn from the effort or his muscles ache from the exertion. But he would be foolish to think that this was the end of it. Michael had been foolish enough today, instead opting to run back at Mirabella and pull his greatsword up in an arch toward her.

Whether Mirabella took the bait because she had assumed that he would be too cowardly to hurt her or not, Michael was not sure. Yet her greatsword came up to block exactly how he had expected and it allowed him to step around it and shift his own blade into a dagger, one small enough that he was able to stab it up, under her breast plate into her skin in what he had hoped was a fairly superficial cut. One that certainly wouldn't kill her at the very least.

Narrowing his red eyes, breathing the same air as his wife's beloved Michael spat out his response. "I already know I deserve to die for what has happened. Believe me, I have tried. If you want to take this life, be my guest. But you will not do so as you lie to me about what happened."

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Coliseum ☀︎ Mirabella ☀︎ Fit

Kumako Shock
Captain

Loyal Lover

Offline

Beyond The Time
Vice Captain

Dapper Dabbler

Offline

Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2024 11:44 am

ＭＩＲＡＢＥＬＬＡ ☀ ＲＯＵＳＳＥＡＵ
ＤＵＣＨＥＳＳＯＦＡＬＯＲＥ

"DO YOU THINK I WANTED THIS?"

Michael was finally beginning to show some proper semblance of a backbone, and Mirabella was living for it. Parrying once again, he decided it was his turn to circle around her. The warrior of light had been starting to wonder if the sad sap would end up dead before really giving her his best, but thankfully she seemed to have roused whatever fury Sera had buried deep within him. And it. Was. Beautiful.

"Do you know what it's like? Desperately wanting to be loved while only being compared to you?"

"Am I hearing jealousy in that voice of yours, Sera? Poor baby."

Suddenly, the brainless oaf was putting her on the defensive. Strike after strike, Mirabella had found herself failing to regain control of their wild dance of solar-backed steel against self-made light. Good. This is exactly the kind of combat I was looking for! Earlier, he showed he still retained some prowess with a blade; now he was truly putting that skill to use. Unfortunately, it had to come with his incessant prattle as well.

"She found me. Sat me down like a good little dog and sold me a lie of wanting to find a good man who could help her build Alore back up to it's true glory. Or did she conveniently forget to tell you that she proposed to me. I was the idiot who believed her! Imagine my surprise after the wedding when she pulls a lover - another woman - out of her back pocket and tells me it's now my job to put on a performance to earn the love she vowed to me at the altar before Mother Sun!"

However, his yapping did serve to provide Mirabella with some useful information regarding the homewrecker's state of mind. To think that her darling Nadine would ever willingly subject herself to being a bride to this sad sack of s**t was utter nonsense, and yet he said it with such gravitas. Did he really believe what he was telling her? Was he that far gone from the realm of sanity? Watching him in disbelief as he caught his breath, the warrior of light was able to ascertain one truth at least: their fight was taking its toll on him. Mirabella was experiencing her fair share of fatigue too, of course, but poor Sera only had himself in his corner. How unfortunate for him that the same could not be said for Mother Sun's chosen warrior.

"Uh-oh, looks like widdle Sera's getting all tuckered out. And just when things were starting to get interesting. Don't you dare ******** pass out on me, Sera! You can close your eyes when you're dead!"

Seemingly further incensed, the duke rushed towards her with another strike of his toy sword. But his anger would be of no consequence, as Mirabella blocked it with growing ease. "Come now, where's all that vigor you showed a moment ag- ack!" In a display of classic Sera lineage duplicity, the duke allowed his blade to shrink down to a dagger with which he proceeded to stab Mirabella in the chest with. It wasn't a lethal blow, but it hurt like hell all the same.

Scarlet eyes widened in shock as her nerve receptors finally caught up to what she had just witnessed, with Mirabella letting out a pained grunt as Sera stared her down. She even dropped her blade, her hands shaking as she processed all that he'd accomplished. The oh-so-convincing feint was one thing, but the switch-up into a dagger for the clean stab? Now that was the kind of strategy one taught by a tactician as well regarded as Nadine should've been trying from the start. Heavy breaths heaved out of her as Sera decided for some stupid ******** reason that it'd be a good idea to open his mouth again.

"I already know I deserve to die for what has happened. Believe me, I have tried. If you want to take this life, be my guest. But you will not do so as you lie to me about what happened."

Sera seemed to really think he was being poignant or something, lingering for a moment longer than he should have. Perfect. Grasping his wrist with a grip like a vice, she took a handful of his tunic collar with her free hand so that she could drag him in closer. "Looks like today's your lucky day then, dipshit!" Mirabella stomped on one of Sera's feet, digging her heel into it as she gritted her teeth. "But first, you need some sense knocked into you!" said the warrior of light as she released his collar and promptly punched Sera right in the face. That sent him back a decent enough way, giving the two of them some distance once again. But importantly, finally landing a blow on the so-called untouchable soldier gave Mirabella some much-needed catharsis.

"Nadine and I wished for an Alore that would truly stand above all other kingdoms, just as Mother sits high above our world. What use would a cowardly worm such as yourself have had in our plans for a truly radiant Alore!?"

Before it could even dissipate, Mirabella grasped the blade still lodged in her chest and crushed it. As its remains faded into nothingness, a scarlet glow enveloped the wound. There was a slight hiss that escaped the warrior of light's lips as Mother Sun's searing light worked its magic. In mere moments, specs of light flaked off to reveal unharmed skin beneath it. "Even now you mock our vision, playing along with Marie's twisted 'Utopia' as if she had any right to take our victory from us! As far as I'm concerned, you're just as much of a traitor as she is!" Her breathing still labored, she picked up her sword once again. She too was beginning to tire, but she wouldn't let it stop her. Nothing would stop her from making this miserable excuse for a duke pay for his crimes once and for all.

"It's funny. My beloved Nadine would often speak on how delusional you were, but to make up such an elaborate fairy tale? Perhaps you should pick up writing in your next life, ********. Let's get to work on that, shall we?"

The warrior of light rushed Sera once again, their dance of blades reaching furious new heights. "I have to commend you on one thing, though. I thought smiting you would be a total snoozefest, but here you are, properly standing your ground! Deep down, it would seem that there's some sense of honor in you after all!" Despite all her unyielding rage, there was a strange enjoyment that Mirabella felt as Sera continued to go toe-to-toe with her. It just went to show how much of a miracle worker Nadine was; she could even turn the lowliest turd into gold. Perhaps this wouldn't be a bad way to go out as well.

As they continued to fight, the one taking the lead would constantly switch. In one moment, Sera would be whaling away at Mirabella with his multitude of weapons. In the next, the warrior of light took full advantage of her strength combined with her sword's heft to overwhelm him with brute force. In this way, the pair had reached a stalemate for the time being. But Mirabella knew it would not last. Eventually, one of them would slip up. A missed opportunity here or a moment's hesitation there could lead to disaster, and the warrior of light wouldn't have it any other way. How else could they pay proper tribute to Nadine than to give this fight their all?

In this way, Mirabella experienced a sense of tranquility amidst the ever-fierce battle. At times, battling Sera was like being with Nadine. From the way that he fought to even his stance at certain points, the warrior of light saw her lover's reflection in him. However, much like in a house of mirrors, that reflection was distorted in a way that felt like it were mocking her memory. It was in that intermingling of serenity and indignation that Mirabella found the only truth that she needed to know: one way or another, Michael Sera would die by her hand.

Nothing less would satisfy her...right? Of course, that was what she had set this all up for. That look in Sera's stupid rainbow eyes that said he truly believed every word coming out of his mouth only showed how truly deluded he had made himself, nothing more. Nadine was as true as Mother's light, which was how she purified Mirabella of her weakness and turned her into the warrior she was always destined to be. The Warrior of Light. To think that her beloved would use people as he was insinuating was...absurd. Absolutely absurd. And yet, despite everything, something inside of her couldn't help but actually consider what the homewrecker was saying.

In that moment of inner turmoil, Mirabella hesitated.

Location: Colosseum
Company: Michael
OOC: Outfit, Sword

Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2025 7:03 pm

If there was one thing that Michael could commend, it was that he had given Mirabella an opening and she had taken it. Her punch had been fierce, sending him staggering back and a sickening crack erupted from his face. Wetness dribbled down from his nose, and he didn't need to see it to know that it was blood. That she had broken his nose. Truly it was a shame that the Mother hadn't blessed him with some kind of healing, just his infernal glow. But he would not curse his gift as it allowed him to form another great sword in his hands as the red haired b***h took her time crushing his blade and waxing poetic.

For being older than him, it clearly hadn't given her wisdom. Just anger. Burning, seething hatred that blinded her from seeing anything other than what she wanted to see. Tsk tsk, that wouldn't do. Especially when she had the nerve to blame him for wanting to find peace. Peace that would help his duchy thrive. That would help Mirabella's duchy thrive. Staying silent while she ran at him to dance blade to blade and yap once again was making Michael grind his teeth from the effort not to interject. Instead he would switch his tactics on her, taking the lead in their battle as often as she was stealing it back from him. If he could just make her focus on the fighting, maybe it would shut her up.

It seemed to work, the effort to stay in control taking some kind of toll on her unmatched ability to spout bullshit. Part of him wondered if it was because she was starting to piece things together despite the drivel that she was spouting. Maybe that was too naive a thought as her greatsword arched down over him and he caught it with the flat of his own blade, forcing himself to place a hand on the blade to push Mirabella's back and putting a small gap between them.

Finally, she hesitated.

Reaching out, he closed what little distance he'd put between them as he grasped the neckline of her breastplate. Pulling her in to force her into meeting his orange eyes, he ignored the fact that she could very easily headbutt him right in the bruise forming over the bridge of his nose where she'd broken it. "This peace is nothing you should scoff at Mirabella." The pain radiating from his face made Michael's tone little more than a snarl. "Or are you stupid enough to think so little of your people? Not everyone could win the war, is this really so much worse than if we had lost and been absorbed by the likes of Luna or Shahiti? At least our people can heal without becoming slaves or worse. Or did you fail to think about that with all your pretty rage?"

Much like he had anticipated, her head reared back as if to try to clock him. He pushed her back, letting go of her armor before pulling his sword up between them. He was not finished. She'd spoken more than enough bile and now it was Michael's turn to come in behind her and clean up. How incredibly similar this all felt to Nadine. He was the untouchable one after all, why would she do her own dirty work when she had him doting on her hand and foot to try to win a scrap of affection.

Spinning to gain force behind his blow, Michael slashed out at Mirabella again. She blocked him, but he hadn't actually wanted to hurt her. Instead he was trying to keep her guard up so he could less than gently remind her of the facts. The facts she so conveniently liked to forget as it suited her.

"I'm delusional?" Scoffing, he paused to deliver another powerful blow for her to block. "Are you forgetting how old I was when she proposed to me? You act as if I had any power to convince her to drop everything and just become my wife. As if I would want to force someone into that role. I've seen enough of unhappy marriages Mirabella, I can assure you I was uninterested in one when I was seventeen."

The problem with now being on the offensive was that talking while doing so wasn't exactly easy. Which was why her sword clipped his arm, a superficial wound left in the sun steel's wake. Despite her blade making contact the mention of his age seemed to force her to hiccup in her movements. "Oh did you forget that? Nadine was twenty-four when she sought me out. I was fresh to the war, barely seventeen when the marriage meeting was arranged." Mirabella parried another blow, shifting both of their blades to the side. Whether it was out of instinct or frustration, Michal took the opening to step forward and level a kick into the center of her chest. His wife's lover wasn't much smaller than him, but it was enough to knock her back and off balance.

There was no hesitation as he stepped forward, hand closing around her neck. His grip was firm, but not punishing. Just enough force to hold her in place. "You're only a year older than me, think about it. When did she get her claws into you?" Only he didn't really give her time to think about it. Not when the weapon in his hand was shifting smaller once more. There was opportunity here, one he would not squander.

Flipping the dagger he had crafted so that the blade dug into the calloused flesh of his hand, he pressed the hilt into Mirabella's free hand. Then he waited for her to grasp it. Puppeteering the warrior of light, Michael positioned the dagger over his heart. Then his yellow eyes met hers once more. He would not let her stab him until he was satisfied with her answers, but he would not fight her if she could see past her pride and concede that neither side was inherently wrong. "I will not die while my duchy needs me, so do us both the favor and open your ******** eyes."

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Coliseum ☀︎ Mirabella ☀︎ Fit

Kumako Shock
Captain

Loyal Lover

Offline

Beyond The Time
Vice Captain

Dapper Dabbler

Offline

Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2025 8:06 am

ＭＩＲＡＢＥＬＬＡ ☀ ＲＯＵＳＳＥＡＵ
ＤＵＣＨＥＳＳＯＦＡＬＯＲＥ

And just like that, Sera was upon her. s**t! Mirabella's enhanced reflexes could only serve to try and block what she would assume to be a swipe of his blade to end it all. Instead, she found herself breathing Sera's putrid air as he took her by the breastplate and continued to try and weave an aurora of lies to her. "This peace is nothing you should scoff at Mirabella." Scarlet eyes darted left and right as she considered her next move with gritted teeth. Since you've finally gotten your head in the game, I'll do the same. The warrior of light attempted a headbutt, but was pushed back before she could clock him.

"Pretty rage? I'll - NGH!"

With a ferocious block to a slash just as heated, Mirabella had hoped to be able to get back on the offensive. However, her nemesis had other plans. With the swiftness that his weightless blade of false light granted him, Michael mounted a staggering offensive that the warrior of light could only keep herself from getting struck by. All the while, Sera continued to spew poisonous prattle into her eardrums. Just tune him out, Mirabella. His words have no meaning. The only meaning here lies in my blade when I impale his chest with it! Yes, all she needed to do was focus on getting back control of this battle. When Michael Sera was dead, his lies would be brought to rest as well. Unfortunately, she couldn't seem to cut him out entirely. "I've seen enough of unhappy marriages Mirabella, I can assure you I was uninterested in one when I was seventeen." At the mention of his age, Mirabella found herself hesitating once again.

Seventeen? That was when...

Once again, Mirabella's train of thought was brought to an abrupt halt as she had to block another strike from Sera. An irritated snarl escaped her lips as she was once again stuck on defense. Despite being physically superior, Sera's precision and tenacity put him at an advantage as the warrior of light's resolve faltered. The warrior of light wasn't completely declawed, managing to nick his arm, but she could do little to keep him from running his mouth. "Oh did you forget that? Nadine was twenty-four when she sought me out. I was fresh to the war, barely seventeen when the marriage meeting was arranged." As much as Mirabella tried to ignore his blather, Sera's words hit her like a wagon nonetheless. After all, his introduction to Nadine hadn't been much different from hers.

The third time was the charm: this time, Sera landed a proper kick and followed it up with a hand to the warrior of light's throat. Succeeding in stopping Mirabella in her tracks entirely, she weakly gripped and tugged at his forearm to try and shake his grip. While this would normally be a small task for someone as mighty as the warrior of light, Mirabella had to shamefully admit to herself that his words gripped him tighter than his hand.

"You're only a year older than me, think about it. When did she get her claws into you?"

That Sera thought to dangle that question over her head so implicitly only served to pour salt on the freshly formed wound. On the day that Mirabella had met Nadine, she too was only seventeen. As she was older than Sera, this meant that her beloved was younger as well when they first laid eyes on one another. But with that still putting her at twenty-three, did that really matter? She couldn't have known that I'd succeed that time. It was pure coincidence that we met when we did! Mirabella wasn't sure who to be more furious with: Sera for peddling his bullshit or herself for heeding it for even a second. Nadine deserved so much better, but it would seem that even now she failed her when it mattered most.

Making matters worse was the fact that Mirabella had once again dropped her blade while Sera had a dagger at the ready. However, it would seem as though his intent was not to stab her again. Scarlet eyes looked at his hand in utter confusion as he flipped the dagger to grasp the blade side instead, offering her the hilt as he aimed for his own chest.

"I will not die while my duchy needs me, so do us both the favor and open your ******** eyes."

"Oh, get off it already!"

Refusing to follow along with whatever suicidal nonsense Sera was trying for, Mirabella smacked the dagger out of his hand. Leaping up, she brought both legs up to kick at his stomach. Freed from his grip as he was brought a ways back once again, Mirabella picked her blade back up and pointed it towards him. "My beloved and I only partook in romance when I was of age. She sat me down and made sure that it was my decision to pursue a relationship. I had a choice, and I made her my chosen before I became truly hers, so save your sob story for the journalists!" Yes, that was right. Nadine had been so careful with her, so understanding. That this animal would try to warp her perception of her beloved was just another crime to add to his lengthy list.

"That your family decided to offer you up so that you'd be wed the second you were of age is something to cry about to them, not me!"

As her very lungs burned with renewed hate, a radiance of staggered scarlet emanated from her being. Normally, there was a limit to how much of Mother's light that Mirabella could utilize. There were clear indicators to the amount that she was utilizing as well: just her eyes meant she was just scratching the surface, her hair aglow meant she was reaching her peak, and a steady glow from the entirety of her being meant she was at said peak. She reached her limit. But Mirabella Rousseau wasn't the average Aloran warrior. She was the warrior of light, and the warrior of light wasn't known for heeding limits. She was known for breaking them.

Bursts of scarlet flared from her body as her light intensified beyond anything anyone would've seen from her before. Forgive me, Bonita. We might have to make the hiatus on our grudge indefinite. She was absorbing Mother's majesty at a rate far beyond any self-imposed limits and was unsure of how long she'd be able to maintain such an intense intake of solar energy. It also hurt like hell, her very lungs burning from Mother's searing heat. But for the immediate future, one thing was clear to her now: if she would have Sera's head, it didn't matter what became of her afterwards. She would be victorious, even if it cost her her life.

"Does my rage still look pretty to you, Sera?"

While her brilliance gave her away, Sera would find himself ill-equipped to dodge the newly strengthened Mirabella as she swung back her sword for a one-handed strike. Sera blocked, but it didn't matter. "ALLOW ME TO DAZZLE YOU TO OBLIVION!" Her strength now at a staggering new height, the swing of her blade ignored him entirely, and he found himself flung back by the force of impact. Before he could steady himself, he would find Mirabella already above him. Like a bird of prey, Mirabella swooped down to strike her quarry. He was still able to avoid the heel of her foot as she swung down an axe kick, but any sense of poise had disappeared from his sniveling hide. She'd gotten him to scurry about like the vermin he was, a delicacy so sweet that it made the agony she felt oh so worth it.

Running off of the momentum she'd given herself, the warrior of light made a rabid sprint towards the deceiver before her and went for another strike with her blade. Sera blocked but didn't have good enough reaction time to account for her free arm. With a punch to his face that now carried unknown levels of solar might with it, the warrior of light watched with sadistic glee as his face contorted in pain. "Gotta be quicker than that, ingrate!" As good as it felt to see Michael to give this fight all he had, overcoming that wall felt even better. Grinning viciously, she went for a couple of kicks at his opposite side before leaping up to knee his chin. Upon impact, her other leg swung into another kick before her feet once again touched the ground.

"Hah...ahaha...hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The dissonant sweetness to her cackle belied the ire that guided her every movement. "Don't you get it, Sera? You, Marie, Nehal, that healer: you are ALL failures to your homeland! To take even one of you off the map would be the greatest service I could give to my people! This peace we have now is nothing compared to the grand victory that so many fought and died for, so consider your corpse my consolation prize!" said Mirabella as she came at him with a brutal barrage of punches, slashes and kicks. Michael was doing his best to evade any major damage, but the amount of strikes he had to take to survive a deadlier blow was mounting. The tide of this battle was turning, its conclusion swiftly approaching. Mirabella could feel it in her bones; victory was just a moment away.

As Mirabella continued to wail on Sera, the bursts of light became more spread apart. The already unstable hold she had on Mother Sun's greatness was waning. No! Not until he's paid in blood for his crimes! NOT UNTIL HE'S DEAD! Mirabella forced more of Mother's radiance into her being, the chaotic light show surrounding her picking up speed once again. With a kick to his chest that sent him tumbling far off, Mirabella kept her foot in the air to admire her own strike. "Complacency like yours is what caused our homeland's suffering to begin with. The assault on Ómorfes Pétres would never have happened if it weren't for scum like you and those who instilled such weakness upon you! Nadine and I would've saved our kingdom from such agony and embarrassment, but then you had to go and take her from me!" Running to gain speed before she leapt up to lunge at him, Mirabella continued her rapid-fire assault. This time, he would be the one to listen to her. And her words would be the last he ever heard!

"And now you have the nerve to besmirch her name? TO TRY AND ROB ME OF MY MEMORY OF HER AS WELL!? There's a special seat in the seven hells for you, Michael Sera, and today I'll deliver you right to it!"

As Mirabella felt her body continue to scream at her in agony for taking too much from Mother Sun, she considered going for a swift kill. One clean stab through the chest was all she needed, after all. However, simply killing him felt like too merciful a punishment. Scum like Sera should be made to suffer first. It was only when he was on his last leg, battered and bloodied beyond recognition, that Mirabella would finally put him out of his misery. As long as she could hold out until then, she'd be satisfied with herself. The warrior of light never forgave herself for leaving her beloved only for her to die right after. If she was there, perhaps her Nadine would still be with her.

But if history class taught her anything, it was that Mirabella could not change the past. She could only carve out a better future. So even if Mother would take her in exchange for her betrayal, Mirabella would rid the world of Sera for his. Only then would she know of the peace Sera spoke so reverently about. Only then would her war be over.

Location: Colosseum
Company: Michael
OOC: Outfit, Sword

Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2025 10:26 pm

"Oh, get off it already!"

A small part of him was only able to laugh as she knocked the dagger out of both of their hands. Of course. Of course it had been too much to ask for her to stop wallowing in her dramatics. The pedestal she'd placed Nadine up on was too high, possibly even higher than the pedestal Mirabella had thrust all of Alore onto. The only reason the laugh had been interrupted was because of the kick she'd thrust directly into his unguarded chest.

"-so save your sob story for the journalists! That your family decided to offer you up so that you'd be wed the second you were of age is something to cry about to them, not me!"

It was also so very like her to twist his meaning to fit the world she wanted to live in. If only he wasn't sputtering trying to catch his breath. Despite the way it had pushed him back, the way it had winded him, Michael did not let it stop him from getting back up. When was the last time he had fought like this? There had been a point in the war where it had felt like he was going through the motions for the sake of it.

Or was that exactly what it was? He'd been sent off to war as part of his father's plan to make him a well-rounded leader. Mike was sure that it hadn't been an expected outcome that he would actually be more talented with a sword than anyone had realized. That talent had been exactly what had drawn Nadine to him in the first place. What had her approaching him, asking her junior how he fought so well. He'd spent his spare time training her, using what precious little energy he had left at the end of those long, long days. Maybe that had been why he'd believed she was interested in him in the first place. How stupid he felt now to know that she had already been two timing the both of them.

He'd been exhausted. The ebb and flow of a battle, of sacking towns and seeing the first hand horrors of what they were doing to innocents in the name of Alore. It had been numbing and strengthening in the worst way possible. After so long it all just faded into jaded instincts. Shift your blade here. Pull back there. Go for the kill. All blending together until he wasn't even paying full attention to the fight. Why did he need to when the person up against him was just as tired as he was?

"Does my rage still look pretty to you, Sera?"

The question snapped his attention into the present again, choking down a breath as he looked up to find Mirabella glowing scarlet, the red hued light snapping off of her form almost like arcs of oddly colored electricity. If he didn't know any better, Mike would have almost believed it was electricity. He knew her power made her hair and eyes change color. He also remembered Nadine once mentioning that red was the woman's preferred color. His green eyes narrowed, connecting muddy dots in his memory about the Aloran's powers to realize what she was doing here now.

"No, it just looks pretty stupid now."

Unfortunately, stupid didn't mean that she wasn't going to kick his a**. It was instinct that brought his sword up to catch hers. The force of it though? It had him staggering back, the force of it rattling down his arms. Just trying to survive would take everything within him to do. But did he even want to?

The question was a mistake, distracting him enough that he couldn't block her blow and anticipate her next move fast enough. Which had her fist connecting with his already broken nose and drawing fresh blood as his face contorted. She was a flurry of blows, fists, kicks, and manic nonsense coming at a speed that a novice would believe rivaled a Mercurian. Not that it mattered. They'd been at this for long enough that he saw it for what it was. This was her last push, and right now Michael was no match for it.

But how long would that last? Every frenzied punch, kick, and strike seemed to take far more from her than even she was starting to realize. Her movements were choppy, like a puppet on strings being jerked around by an inexperienced puppet master. Every burst of movement was taking longer and longer in between. The pace of her movements were awkward, slowing down and speeding up mid-action. She was breaking down much the same way he was.

Now he just needed to outlive this last burst.

Her latest kick had a hand coming up to his chest as he dropped down to one knee and coughed into the dirt below them. It was hard to say if the mixture of spittle and blood that had landed beneath him was some combination from the surface of his face, or something he'd coughed up from deep in his chest. Still, he git his teeth together and lifted his head to level his blue eyes at Mirabella in a defiant stare.

"Oh so we're all failures? For what? Not living up to your imagined victory?" She was in a moment of catching herself back up, trying once again to charge herself for another massive burst of energy. Enough time for him to poke holes in her logic. Also figure out how to survive this. If she was going to continue to be delusional, then he would need to live if only for his duchy.

"You keep bringing up this grand victory but I've yet to see what you mean by it. Were we supposed to become like the countries you constantly scream are lesser than us? Would you have us lower ourselves and take slaves? What would the end of this war in your head look like Mirabella? HOW MANY HAVE TO DIE TO MAKE YOU HAPPY?"

The words were spit out with disdain, blood once again mixing in. Dragging himself up to his feet, he knew he was going to have to start getting creative. If only there was something he could use to chain her in place. To shield his battered body from anymore abuse. But what could he d-

Oh.

The solution seemed so simple. It wasn't the way he normally used his powers. Swapping from weapon to weapon always just felt so much more natural, but Mother Sun had given him this gift for a reason. It wasn't just weapons that he could make. Sometimes it was hard to remember that.

"Does it make you feel better to pretend that your perfect world with Nadine would have wrought less suffering? Because it sounds to me like you would rather listen to your own bullshit than what I am telling you. I didn't want her! Not at the end, after learning that she wanted you more. I had given up Mirabella. I had told her to go back to you. Now tell me, did she?"

As he spoke the light was twisting to his will, forming shackles to chain Mirabella to the ground where she stood. Wrapping around her ankles and locking her into place. Mother above, he could only pray that this last ditch effort was enough to keep her from killing him. He would already need to see the school healer for the damages she'd done to him, but he was doubtful that everything could be fixed immediately. Worst case, he would be able to throw up a shield around himself.

"I don't have to besmirch her nor rob you of her memory," The words ripped out of him like a snarl as all he could do was brace himself. "You filled in those blanks Mirabella. You don't have to like it, but you've seen what I'm talking about and are choosing to ignore it for what? Some sick revenge spree that clearly isn't doing anything other than killing you? What comes after this? After your revenge is enacted? Do you think you will feel better?"

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Coliseum ☀︎ Mirabella ☀︎ Fit

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Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2025 8:18 pm

ＭＩＲＡＢＥＬＬＡ ☀ ＲＯＵＳＳＥＡＵ
ＤＵＣＨＥＳＳＯＦＡＬＯＲＥ

The warrior of light was growing impatient. Like an ingrown toenail, the little s**t was really starting to get under her skin. Mirabella had enjoyed the battle for a while. Having someone she could actually go all out on without immediately trouncing their sorry a**? Pushing herself to her limits and then going beyond them? What more could one want out of a battle?

A few things, actually. For starters, an opponent who decided that today was the day he'd practice being a ******** preacher would be nice. Seriously, did Sera really believe there was a single word she wanted to hear from him other than him admitting defeat at this point? He was starting to sound like a broken record. Similarly, his persistence despite the onslaught of violence she'd inflicted upon him was starting to really piss her off. His self-made light was nothing compared to Mother; this fight should've been over by now! Moreover, the way his comments about Nadine and the nature of their respective histories with her caused her to waver in her actions...perhaps she was in need of a sermon. But not from him.

Mirabella was tired of seeing Michael Sera's face. Tired of undeserving, good-for-nothing bastards getting everything they never deserved! And the one thing that he did deserve? It remained infuriatingly elusive. He should be down on the floor by now, begging her to grant him a swift death. And yet he wasn't. No matter how much she threw him around like a rag doll, no matter how much she channeled the unparalleled power of Mother Sun into her being, the not-quite-battle-scarred imbecile refused to stay down. If she survived this, she would seek forgiveness for even thinking of doubting her beloved. For now, though, she'd focus on the prospect of righteous vengeance before her.

"Oh so we're all failures? For what? Not living up to your imagined victory?"

Was he stupid? Had she not made herself explicitly clear by now!? Yes! That was exactly what she'd been saying this entire ******** time! Glowing scarlet eyes narrowed, her entire form searing with contempt as he continued to garble out more poorly phrased, poorly spoken bullshit. It wasn't surprising, as his words matched his form, but it was almost sad that he seemed to so truly believe in such fanciful ideologies. Almost. Picking up her sword once again, she continued to force a nearly overwhelming amount of solar energy into herself. Looking back, she should've known that to place limits on her own abilities was keeping herself from blossoming fully. Nadine had always pushed her, always believed that she was capable of anything, but she allowed fear to dim her radiance. No longer.

"Become like them? Like those we would've trampled with our heels had that hack Marie not stolen our grand victory from us!? What would make me happy, Sera, is if we'd honored those who've already been taken away from us and brought about true peace by way of absolute light!"

Mirabella's voice had become ragged, screaming out every word with increasing strained fury. This wasn't just for herself or just for Nadine. So many brave soldiers put their lives on the line for Radiant Alore and are no longer with them! It was their mission, their duty as those who lived on, to strive for the world that each one of them envisioned when they first took on the responsibility of raising their blades for their homeland! Drawing in deep breaths, she forced Mother's light into her once again. It hurt like hell and it was only getting worse each time she did it, but it would be worth it in the end. He'd clearly grown keen on her inconsistent strength, but he could not overtake her either. And with such flimsy ideals, surely he would break long before she would. Victory would be hers.

Lifting her massive blade up with one hand, she pointed it toward Sera, blinding light erupting from her form. Bringing a leg back and widening her stance, she brought back the blade to hold it in both arms, its tip still facing towards him. The metal ran parallel to her line of sight, and with her target before her, she dashed towards him once again. This would be the end of it. One final, decisive strike that would finally rid the world of the shitstain known as Michael Sera. Only then could Mirabella be satisfied. Only then could Nadine be properly honored. Only then could it all end.

"Does it make you feel better to pretend that your perfect world with Nadine would have wrought less suffering? Because it sounds to me like you would rather listen to your own bullshit than what I am telling you. I didn't want her! Not at the end, after learning that she wanted you more. I had given up Mirabella. I had told her to go back to you. Now tell me, did she?"

"Why don't I help you find out for yourself? I think I'll feel much better then!"

With a hateful stare and a wild grin, the warrior of light rushed toward her prey with one goal in mind: kill. However, it would seem as though Sera had found a way to weasel himself out of facing her wrath yet again. Before she could make a second step, shackles of his inferior light sprung up to keep her in place. Stumbling over, she struck her blade into the ground to steady herself. Looking down at the iridescent fetters, an infuriated Mirabella snarled and grunted against the chains to no avail. For now. Taking a moment to catch her breath, Mirabella could feel Mother's radiance escape her the moment her focus went elsewhere. For ******** sake, STAY! Just until this is over, please! Looking back up at Sera, the duchess found him opening his mouth for what was likely to be another long-winded lecture. As if she didn't have enough problems already.

"I don't have to besmirch her nor rob you of her memory,"

"Ha! Sure could've fooled me!" exclaimed Mirabella indignantly, still struggling with her shackles while Sera pushed forward with his speech. The warrior of light strained to free herself all the while, even bringing both arms to help break her chains and pull up one leg at a time. So what if she'd "seen" what he was talking about!? It didn't mean anything. She wouldn't let it! All she needed to do was break free of these stupid ******** leg irons, and she would show him exactly what she was ignoring him for. This isn't a damn request, Mother! I've served you dutifully my entire life. Please, heed my call...please! Tears had started to well up in her eyes as her desperate struggle felt as though it had fallen on deaf ears from she who shone over all.

But then...she felt it. It was slow at first, and it was like trying to contain a hurricane with one's bare hands. An impossible feat for most, but not so for the warrior of light! Slowly but surely, her entire body began to emanate fiery waves of scarlet light once more. "After? You think I give a s**t about after right now?" Ever casually did her movements look as she once again attempted to step forward, the chains shattering this time. Leaving her blade nestled in the ground, she started laughing. It was quiet at first, but it soon erupted into loud, vindictive hysterics. And then she was on him.

Slamming Sera down with a knee to his gut as she pounced on him, the warrior of light smiled as she took a hand to his neck and squeezed. "Much better indeed." Bringing her other hand up and forming a fist, she grinned. This was it: her reward for all her suffering. She had certainly wanted to cross all of the names off of her hit list, but Sera's was the most important one. This would be enough. Channeling Mother Sun's fury into her being once more, the warrior of light brought down her fist of divine judgment and—

"AGH!!"

Convulsions. Trembling. A near total loss of her agency. Worse pain than she'd ever experienced before in her life. Crying out in agony, the most Mirabella could do was roll over to Sera's side. Her once clenched fist now splayed out in agony before her, she grasped onto it with her other hand, as its range of movement wasn't as limited. "Dammit! It's not fair! IT'S NOT FAIR! Why can't I do this? WHY CAN'T I AVENGE HER!?" Scarlet eyes glared at the sky, her seized body crying out for Mother to just let her finish this one task. Let her be worth something one last time! She'd been nothing since she had left Nadine. A cherished veteran? As if! Not a soul who thanked her knew a damn thing about the horrors she'd gone through for the land of light. Nobody gave a damn about the heartbreak she felt over Marie's betrayal. This was her last chance to do something of real worth with her life! So why!?

Her mind raced as she continued to writhe, her form riddled with torturous, paralyzing hurt. She had strained and torn so much, and whatever her body had done to try and keep her together despite it all had finally worn out. And this was...this was something that Nadine had told her she could do! If her beloved had believed that Mirabella was capable of something, she always rose to the occasion! Why couldn't she do the same now!? It didn't make any sense. IT DIDN'T MAKE ANY—

...Wait.

The time when she and Nadine spoke about this...was right before Mirabella had left their squadron to fight without her or Sera. Nadine had been silent about it for some time but then suddenly pleaded with her to stay. Spoke of all the things they had yet to achieve together...including this. No...did I—did she mean to— Mirabella let out another yell, barely bringing her hands to curl into her face. Just bringing her knees up, she contorted in herself as the convulsions just barely began to let up. Her healing was massively delayed, likely a result of the mass overexertion she had pushed herself through.

"Sera, I can't...I don't want to..."

The warri-...the duchess of light's whirlwind of thoughts finally found a point of focus. Her memories of Nadine. All the times she was swayed by her seemingly unstoppable charisma. She was the kind of woman who could sway favor with just a glance...but she couldn't do a thing about a dressed-up swine like Sera? Him and his fattened up duchy, lavished with titles beyond what farm folk were normally given by their bloodline's proximity to the throne alone. Or at least, that's the sort of thing Nadine would agree with. She would agree with Mirabella's anger but never act on it. Not once. Was it really just to keep the peace? And if so, why make Mirabella herself into such a fine tool for war?

Bringing her hands down, she just lay there silently as she continued to suffer and shake. She was so very, painfully tired. Her body was tired. Her mind was tired. Her very soul likely felt the same. "The doubt. It's settling in now. Does that please you, Sera? Does that make you happy?" Spiting him was all she'd known to do in his presence, and that wasn't going to change. Not now, at least. But for all the philosophical bullshit he'd thrown her way, what the ******** did he want?

Location: Colosseum
Company: Michael
OOC: Outfit, Sword

Posted: Wed May 21, 2025 12:14 pm

The scene before him was almost pathetic. There was an innate thing under Mirabella’s skin, driving her forward in a frenzy that was slowly breaking her down. So badly, in fact, that it was plain for anyone who passed to see. A small part of him was almost jealous that she had so much conviction when he had none. Yet, her convictions were misplaced. Terribly, terribly misplaced. Worse? They could not be moved with logic or reasoning. Mirabella had built up a wall of hate and she was refusing to move on.

But then… Wasn’t that what he was doing too? Wasn’t that the reason he let himself feel so rooted to the guilt of Nadine’s death? Michael had spent so much time absently blaming himself that even a year later it felt second nature to do so. In a way they were two sides of the same coin, forged by Nadine in some sick, twisted attempt of finding love.

"After? You think I give a s**t about after right now?"

A wistful smile crossed Mike’s face, even as he watched the shackles made of mother’s light shatter to her strength. Even as he watched her lunge toward him. ”You’ve made it perfectly clear you wish to remain in the past, despite my best efforts.” It was all he was able to get out before she was on him, knocking him to the ground and placing a hand to his neck to choke him.

The knee to his gut smarted. Of course she would hit the same spot over and over while it was still forming into a bruise. If he survived this, he could only imagine the way his chest would look. Probably a very ugly sight. "Much better indeed." This was it. Her hand was winding back, preparing to strike. Mike had been hoping to outlast her. Mirabella was clearly on her last leg, the toll of Mother’s blessing taking too much. But it seemed he couldn’t quite make it. Not when exhaustion was hitting hard and black was starting to dark around the edges of his vision. All he could do was bring his hands up to her wrist and close his interesting eyes.

”AGH!!”

By some miracle she rolled off of him, screaming a little temper tantrum into the air. All he could do was lift his hands to his neck and choke out a sputter and suck in a wheezing breath. Sometimes it was hard to tell how hard someone was squeezing down on your throat until they released you and the flood of oxygen really put how little you were getting into perspective. A perspective you didn’t really want to know in the first place.

Now that he could think straight once more, it was impossible not to notice the writhing next to him. The heavy tremors that seemed to flicker in and out without any kind of warning or notice. Michael wasn’t sure if it was a fitting end to their fighting or if he felt bad for what she was going through. Had this been something Nadine told her she could do? Was it like all the times she had forced him to work her to the bone to learn his fighting style? How Nadine had wanted to become untouchable? Or was this some stupid bid for her to take him out no matter what happened as Mirabella believed he deserved?

Somehow he couldn’t help but think it was a little bit of both.

"Sera, I can't...I don't want to..." The pleading in her voice hurt to hear. It reminded him of himself, though that wasn’t something he would ever admit to his fellow Aloran. She was already in pain, they both were, and he wasn’t going to kick her while she was down. Not when it sounded like she was finally processing what they both had been put through. "The doubt. It's settling in now. Does that please you, Sera? Does that make you happy?" There was a bite in her question, but it didn’t seem to hold as much venom as it used to.

For a moment they sat there in silence on the ground. All that hung between them were the pants of heavy exertion and the occasional whimper from Mirabella’s trembling. Finally, Mike let out a long breath. His hand came up, hovering over hers for a moment before reconsidering if Mirabella would take kindly to and kind of comfort he had to offer and dropping his hand back down into the dirt by his side.

”No.” His answer was simple. A heaviness was in his voice. Almost as if he were too weary with the world and didn’t have enough to give anymore. And for a moment, that was all that hung between them. Pulling in a sharp breath, he finally continued. ”You didn’t deserve what she put us through. You’ve always been a skilled fighter, but she…” He paused, rolling his tongue over his teeth and trying to ignore the copper taste that had been left in the wake of her attack. Bella was not going to like what he had to say. After today he doubted she had ever liked anything he had to say. ”She took advantage of you for your skill, I think. Like she was jealous of what you could do. You deserved better.”

He could already feel her eyes rolling at his comment. How she wouldn’t take it well. But it was one small comfort to him that he’d gotten to say it as they lie there on the ground trying to summon the strength to get up and go see the school healer.

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Coliseum ☀︎ Mirabella ☀︎ Fit

Kumako Shock
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Beyond The Time
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2025 8:06 pm

ＭＩＲＡＢＥＬＬＡ ☀ ＲＯＵＳＳＥＡＵ
ＤＵＣＨＥＳＳＯＦＡＬＯＲＥ

”No.”

No? No? Mother above, it's like this stupid ******** was made to piss me off. While Mirabella was able to give Sera a passing glare for handing her such an incomprehensible response, another spasm tore her attention away from him and back to the acute suffering she was currently experiencing. It was steadily getting less intense, but the involuntary tensing that her body made out of sharp distaste was enough to cause the pain to spike for a moment. Could he really not gloat like a normal person? Was that so hard?

Of course it was. It was Michael Sera she was talking about. He was always this way, and he likely always would be. Until the end of time, he'd be a frustratingly kind person. But the bitter aftertaste of his words had become...milder. As she continued to hear the heavily scarred duke hurl more niceties to her than she deserved, Mirabella only felt vaguely nauseous instead of outright wanting to puke.

With a labored grunt, Mirabella sat up. If she handled herself carefully, movement had become a complex but realistic possibility. Sniffling still sucked, though, which was a problem given the intermittent tears that continued to trickle down her face. She felt so defeated. So naive. So stupid. And even worse, Sera had figured it out first. The duchess's thoughts immediately went on the defensive, musing that Sera had only been able to piece things together first because he hadn't loved Nadine like she had. But he really had loved her, huh? With how fiercely he struck his various weapons towards her, it was clear now that Sera's passion was intense in his own way.

A part of her felt foolish not to see that sooner, but how could she have? For so long, Mirabella believed in Nadine more than she believed in herself. And considering how self-confident she was, that was quite the strong belief. Even in death, her beloved had been her guiding light. The Radiant Alore that they had first wished for so long ago had been all she ever wanted and then some. But it never would have come to fruition in the way she had wanted it to. Her love had been a stepping stone for someone else's ambition. She'd become a secondary character in someone else's story. And much like a story that went on for far too long, Nadine's hold on Mirabella should have run its course long ago. Although she hadn't responded to it at first, Sera's words repeated in her head.

”You deserved better.”

"...As did you, Sera."

Although her body was still rejecting most of Mother's influence on it, Mirabella found the strength to muster enough to get her standing once again. Her feet weren't entirely steady keeping her up, but that would have to do for now. While the change in position took her out of it for a moment, she was able to adjust. Taking a small, experimental step, she looked down at Michael Sera. As she scanned his battered form, her expression switched back and forth between vague remorse and great pride in her work. "Don't expect an apology for our battle today, though. I did what I thought was just, and I don't regret going through with it." Mirabella paused, her face settling on mild discomfort. As her scarlet eyes stared into his multicolored nonsense, her brows couldn't help but furrow. He really did have to make taking him seriously such a difficult task, didn't he?

"Nor do I have answers that would satisfy you regarding my thoughts on our homeland. A different lens makes not for a different person altogether."

Mirabella paused again, taking in a deep breath as she closed her eyes. Her features scrunched in as she focused, her stance going wobbly as she struggled to take in even the smallest bits of Mother's strength. Mother truly must be furious with her, she surmised. And she had every right to be. Her chosen soldier had been much too greedy; now was the time for punishment. However, it seemed as though the solar goddess had decided to show some mercy. Having been gradually accumulating Mother's blessing, a soft glow had returned to Mirabella's stare.

"But one thing is certain: you have my thanks for making me see the light. For giving it your all as well. Unfortunately for you, though, this clarity has only revealed to me a new way to bother your sorry a**: denying you the death you were so eager for," said Mirabella, carefully bending down some. "But you'll do the same for me, yes?" And then...she offered the farmboy her hand. "Come. We're both due for medical attention after a fight like that, and I need you to recover so that we can fight again one day. After all, I'm not the type to be satisfied with a stalemate like this." While it might have been better for her to have offered him apples from the orchard or something for his compliance, Mirabella expectantly awaited him to take her offer nonetheless. Heroes forge ahead and all that. And while she couldn't tell what was ahead for either of them, she knew they had to keep walking.

That wouldn't be easy, of course. Even in doing this for the two of them, Mirabella knew she had grave injuries to recover from and even greater despair to experience and process. Although there was hope in her words, her tone was already nearly despondent. But not entirely. She would likely struggle for some time with what she learned on this day. There were great tremors within the core of her being, which caused past, present, and future alike to distort. There was so much she was uncertain of now. But there were still things she could cling onto as fact, and one of said facts was that she was no longer satisfied with dying in one of Marie's poorly built coliseums with Michael ******** Sera of all people. So for now, that would have to be enough.

Location: Colosseum
Company: Michael
OOC: Outfit, Sword

Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2025 7:14 pm

At first he thought he had heard her wrong. Surely the Mirabella Rousseau wouldn't admit that he had also been wronged in all of this. That Nadine had caused them both great harm in a way that was nearly impossible to move on from. Surely he must be dead if she was willing to offer him kindness. Unfortunately, the sting in his face and chest was enough of a sign that he was not, in fact, dead.

"Don't expect an apology for our battle today, though. I did what I thought was just, and I don't regret going through with it. Nor do I have answers that would satisfy you regarding my thoughts on our homeland. A different lens makes not for a different person altogether."

The comment brought forth a wheezing laugh from him. One he instantly regretted as his body crumpled in on itself and his hand came to clutch at his extremely bruised ribs. The laugh morphed into a groan, though it didn't fully wipe the smile off of his face. No, he was far too amused for it to be that easy. "Mother above, you really can't just say sorry, can you?" There was still a laugh in his voice, even as he let his eyes meet Mirabella's. "Lucky for you I never expected it. I've known you long enough to understand."

The truth of that statement rang between them, the strangeness that he'd known Mirabella for the last five years or so rolling around between them. How he was forced to know her because of their unorthodox predicament.

"But one thing is certain: you have my thanks for making me see the light. For giving it your all as well. Unfortunately for you, though, this clarity has only revealed to me a new way to bother your sorry a**: denying you the death you were so eager for. But you'll do the same for me, yes?"

As Mirabella bent forward he wasn't sure what to expect. While she'd just said she wasn't going to kill him - pity - it did not mean that she was done beating him. It would not be out of the realm of possibilities for her to beat him within an inch of his life then leave him here bleeding. And considering she was recovered enough despite her trembling to stand and reignite her aura? She was in a far better place to kick him senseless than he was to receive it.

Instead a hand was extended to him, surprising him. "Come. We're both due for medical attention after a fight like that, and I need you to recover so that we can fight again one day. After all, I'm not the type to be satisfied with a stalemate like this." Mike let out another wheezing laugh that made his entire body ache. But this time his hand clasped into Mirabella's instead of rushing to apply pressure to his bruising abdomen.

Maybe they could grow from this. The thought felt hopeful. Not entirely misguided as she pulled him up to his feet. Or, she tried to anyway. They both were moving like they'd been trampled by about 300 horses going full steam ahead. His legs felt overused and unsteady beneath him as he wibbled up to his full height. "I wonder who's fault that could be." There was only playful ribbing in his tone as he offered her a cheeky smile.

The expression seemed to cloud over. Not quite disappearing, but something melancholy ghosting over his face. A thought hung on his tongue. This felt like a risk, but it also felt like a truth she needed to know.

"It's been on my mind for a while now." The words were quiet as he attempted to take a step forward. "Long before we lost her. It was your influence on our relationship that started opening my eyes. So I would like to thank you for that." There was more he could say. So many small things he could point out to her. That he could continue to thank her for. The timing didn't feel right. Anything else he could offer would be spit back in his face.

And that was fine. This was a stepping stone to something better in the future. A future that Michael was looking forward to.

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Coliseum ☀︎ Mirabella ☀︎ Fit

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