Scene #8053: Armour of Aobheil

Owner	Pose
Lilian Rook	As these things often go, the last stop before the end is home. It's funny how often that is true when the reason for having left questing in the start was the fear of losing it, or drifting away, and even moreso when it was never quite destined to be home anyways. Outside of the handful that had already invaded once before, and the one who already lives here, it is an immense act of (certainly not permitted) trust to show anyone here. 'The place where Lilian lives' cannot simply be looked up in the yellow pages and online; even if she herself is too young, her family as a polity dates well back into the centuries of masquerade, and the only old property left has no address. There is no way any of her blood relatives know anything about this, and if they did, she wouldn't get off lightly. But . . . In this instance, those who have already bled to help are treated to Lilian's personal means of recall, using the 'don't open your eyes' vertiginous travel of carefully replicated and even more carefully built faerie circle that she mastered in Kamar-Taj. The fact that she has already installed the necessary measure in the evergreen half-summer woods on this strip of land by the coast of the Otherside, rather than simply trust she will always be always able to take the usual route and walk through the front doors says much without her having to say anything. Nothing has changed about it, save the absence of snow on summer leaves. Nothing might change for a hundred years. A one might recall-- 'The sound of waves and insects and rustling leaves, the scent of clover, cherry, hazel, and sage, and all the stars of an unpolluted sky, old green growth all around. A plot of land that was once cleared and has since been overgrown again under a more watchful and aesthetic eye, without pavement, without driveway, without lamp post, without mailbox, without address. A simple low stone wall defines the boundary where the greenery is kept purposefully, and within that, more garden than house by far. Endless rings of carefully maintained plants arranged in careful semi-chaos. A tremendous rowan tree that towers over even the top of the mansion, with a much smaller twin beside it, myriad climbing vines trimmed back only to the point they neither take over the dark exterior facade, climb the trunks, or touch an out of place white six-petaled flowers. The main path and the black gate, lightless windows at this hour, with-- a conspicuous plot of hydrangeas someone has failed to remove with shears a while ago--
Lilian Rook	"I'm sorry Tamamo. I really tried, but she wouldn't have it. Hours and hours, even." says Lilian, parting the gates with the casual piercing of palpable layers of ancient magic, done-by-memory gestures and genealogical keys allowing the group in behind her, so long as she holds the gate. "She's never been the reasonable type. And there's no point to taking it by force; if anyone could, Matthew would have a long time ago. She's bound to all of it. Attachments from life and unfinished business both. I don't know if it's a product of the times, or . . ." The same process is repeated for the oaken doors, through the darkly varnished grand lobby between the centuries old structural wings and the elusive courtyard. Lilian navigates past the dual stairs, under the second floor overlooks, past the artworks and oddities attributed to old dead names on walls and tables and under glass. Deeper in. Around random corners in spotless, cold and empty halls, past the exact same dimly kept wall lamps and paintings as often as new ones. An esoteric combination of lefts and rights and straightaways and double-backs, until suddenly a hall that should lead back to the doorway instead leads to dark, dusty steps downwards, terminating in graven stone doors. "I suppose I don't blame her. Actually, she's probably the most rational one, in not believing half of what I say. But at the same time, it's sort of . . . this is my problem caused by me, and neither the family's problem, nor caused by it. And she definitely won't like that it's you who is going to have it. I suppose she'd much rather I simply tough it out and overcome it myself. Like . . ." 'The bottom of a too-tall staircase wrought in dark stone, under an arch that leads into a shockingly large, circular chamber, its floor defined by an immense and expertly carved pattern of interlocking solar and lunar orbits and eclipses. It is straightforwardly split with paths to the east and west, right and left from the entry, and one that leads a little further down, into a smaller sub-sanctum. The circular walls between are set with sealed doors, each marked only in ancient Ogham and with pictographs. One door is open. A glimpse of an empty sword stand beneath a window that somehow shows a sliver of midnight moonlight and an old, old, very very old bloodstained altar. Three more are shut; a wand, a horn, and a suit of armour. The sides are be dedicated to repositories of ancient and secret knowledge, unsuitable for even the branch families to access. A place that doesn't just select for true descendants, but true disciples.' "Actually, that's what I'd prefer too." Lilian admits. "But I was the one who wanted to cave in. Accept foreign aid." A short, dry laugh. "Though, that's what I'm doing anyways."
Kale Hearthward	Kale doublechecks something on a notecard when Lilian gathers everyone together to use her quick recall. Whatever he divines from it, he doesn't share. Eyes are closed, and he waits... "... Ah..." he says on arrival, glancing around. "... Nice place." "Old place," he adds, peering at the architecture as the group passes. "I mean, 'foreign aid' is kind of a meaningless concept, after unification?" he adds. "At that point you go from... one percent of things being 'local' to point zero zero one percent, probably less. It's harder to not accept foreign aid." "Besides," he adds. "How many here haven't you bled for? This wasn't the result of any bargaining."
Candy	Candy follows quietly, from faerie circle to front door to secluded, seemingly paradoxical hall. He's been in this estate before, though this time is under a decidedly less hostile pretense. I just need a minute. Upon stepping into the large, circular room, Candy takes a rest. With frozen stillness all around, he sidles up to the circular wall and takes a seat, sliding all the way to the floor. Candy himself seems to flicker from standing upright to sitting down, the bruises and cuts from the heavenly gangsters still quite visible on his neck, cheek and arms. Whether the rest did him any good is hard to say, but he looks a little more alert as he stands up. No longcoat today, for the fact that the weather's much warmer here than the last few places he's visited. "The last time I was here," says Candy, twirling an index generally to indicate Lilian's home (rather than this particular chamber), "I got the impression they really don't like unexpected guests, ah? This," he continues, gesturing towards the doors with the same hand, as the opposite idly fidgets with a suspender band, "Looks like more of that." "So what do we need from down here, what do we gotta do to get it, and who's gonna have a problem with it?"
Hibiki Tachibana	Being back here is...hm. Hibiki isn't entirely sure how she feels about it. On one hand, it's not like it's the first time she snuck around Lilian's residence. The main difference there, of course, being that it's not Lilian's back they're going behind this time. So there's not as much nervousness and awkwardness about it as the last time. On the other hand, the place is still pretty awe-inspiring in a way. Going in through the magic-overlaid gates the easy way rather than the hard way this time, she's idly glancing around as if concerned they're going to get harassed by a trio of spooky spirits. Which they're not, but she wouldn't be surprised if it happened twice. "...Mn." Further in, in, and in. Having Lilian lead the way this time rather than bumbling around searching for what they need is a nice change of pace. She's personally glad they're not taking the stairs, at risk of wandering near a certain room and anything that might come of that. Down they go, listening in silence...and into the massive chamber, with its one ajar door. She looks between them all in turn, squints at the sight of moonlight this far down, and promptly writes it off because she's seen way weirder. Yeah. This is definitely a place she'd never be able to navigate on her own. Not in a thousand years. "Well. I know if I didn't 'accept foreign aid', I never even would have survived to see unification in the first place," she adds after Kale. "...So don't worry about it. We're all here now, right? So let's focus on that." She makes another visual passover of the four doors. "...Uh. Though I second what Candy asked."
Rita Ma	Despite all the grandeur of the house, it's the garden that first transfixes Rita. Her eyes are wide, her lips slightly parted, as she leans down to touch a flower oh-so-gingerly. "This is amazing, Ms. Rook! Who planted all this? I've never seen a garden so pretty before." One might infer that she hasn't seen very many gardens at all, but the statement still holds. Her demeanor around Lilian is, optimistically, less tense than it was during the yakuza's trials, but there remains a shadow of unease. "I think she means 'foreign' as in 'from outside the family', Mr. Hearthward." The use of the honorific marks a slight slackening of hostilities. 'How many here haven't you bled for?', though, makes her turn away in discomfort. But I wish she hadn't. "Are you sure you're still okay, Mr. Candy?" she murmurs, before they enter the house. "You and Mr. Ishirou are... well, nobody would think badly if you sat this out, alright?" She offers him some more mild painkillers, for what good they'll do. The atmosphere of the chamber below visibly gives her the creeps. She pulls her little jacket tight around her shoulders to ward off an intangible chill. Her eyes land first on the bloodstained altar- of course- but then she tears them free to focus on the door to the armor. "Ms. Rook? Who is 'she'?"
Cantio	There's a visible tension on Cantio's face when she's told to keep her eyes shut. It's not that she doesn't trust Lilian, but it's still unnerving to willingly do such a thing around her even after what they've been through semi-recently. Still, that apprehension also doesn't stop Cantio from keeping her eyes closed, and she's rewarded with a familiar sight from so long ago. It's Lilian's place again. It still looks about the same as she remembered, save for a few small details that she very well could have just misremembered or not caught before. More importantly, though, is seeing those gestures being uesd to dispel what she can only assume are the barriers meant to ward off intruders, accidental or otherwise. "Who... Is 'she', anyway?" Cantio finally asks, unable to hold in that question any longer. "Is she a... An elder in your family?" This part of the home is unfamiliar. It's confusing, too, possibly even moreso without much time to get a feel for the place herself as opposed to just following the path. There's probably a few times where Cantio might almost skip a step and nearly eat shit, but she keeps her cool just enough to avid that. "I... I gotta admit, it is a bit of a weird feeling. You asking for help, I mean. I-it's not bad or anything! Just... Unexpected?" Cantio chuckles somewhat awkwardly, then conveniently looks away at Kale's question. Instead, she focuses on Candy's and Hibiki's to get her mind back on track! "... And how far do we have to get before they stop having a problem with us getting... Whatever it is?"
Ishirou	"Yeah, it's huge.." Ishirou says, he says following along and looking at about everything he can. This is...well relatively normal for Ishirou. New places, new things, new things to look at and examine. All of these things file into his mind. Some are put away for later, others are examined right then and there. Behind him, a flying box with arms follows behind. Similarly, it seems to look at things, but it's looking wherever Ishirou is not. The movement through weird space isn't as disorientating to him as it might be to others, though it is /interesting/. Weird magic like this was neat, it's an example of one of those magics that you need to cast to last. Powerful or mastered in a type of magic to boot. Usually. Also for those that notice Ishirou is noticeably injured. He's definitely limping. His arms are still bandaged and there is the occasional bruise or bandage on his legs or face. Whatever happened, he took a beating on top of the strain he was already under. "Hm...I suppose it's something that's normal in a magic family house though. Secrets are tightly guarded, don't want them to fall into other families' hands. They're sort of all countries into themselves," he muses, though becomes quiet at the questions from Candy. Yeah, whatever is going to happen it's going to be probably dangerous or demanding...or both.
Tamamo	Cecilia had said Tamamo and Lilian should take a walk through the garden, mentioning those hydrangeas. It's still on Tamamo's mind. She wasn't here to see the reason they came about. 'She's never been the reasonable type. And there's no point to taking it by force...' "If she cannot be convinced, and neither can she be forced, then there remain some options, though none I would like to be used on family." The reason for Tamamo's slight hesitation before that last word probably isn't the first a listener would consider. "I would like to say that it may be returned, yet that is something that cannot be promised. Though it is best to select a durable container, the stresses that must be placed against it may be far greater." '...foreign aid.' "To call me such... I suppose I have not lived here quite long enough to become one of this land, but all the same, I would that others not think me a mere visitor. Ah, come to think of it, there is that solution..." 'At that point you go from... one percent of things being 'local' to point zero zero one percent, probably less.' "He is not wrong," Tamamo says of Kale, "in practice." 'So what do we need from down here, what do we gotta do to get it, and who's gonna have a problem with it?' Candy asks the question. Tamamo answers, "Ah, I should explain to all here, first, should I not? To, ah, make it somewhat simpler to understand, a 'vessel' is what I seek, the ritual requiring one, to draw forth a spirit from 'there' to 'here,' as has ever been done. It need only, and must only, contain a portion of that which is summoned. A 'doll' is the most common answer, a body crafted and prepared to represent a person. Should the vessel be too fragile, however, it will be unable to hold, nor able to bear, that which is drawn to it. The answer past this problem, then, the grander answer that shows greater care, is to use a suit of sturdy armor as our vessel. And yet, as with all things of great value, there is reluctance in their borrowing, and all the more so should there be but faint hope of its survival." Tamamo continues, "As to that which is to be summoned, it is the very same as to which I had last referred, and of which you had, yourself, been concerned. Please pardon me for not taking that last opportunity to explain this point. I had thought, then, that that outsider was an adversary that could be left alone. I have only discovered, since then, that it still seeks to force its way inside. To draw forth its hand to this world through possession of a vessel, and then to poison its veins before cutting it off," Tamamo's tone isn't much different, but her expression makes it less clear how metaphorical this metaphor is, "is the simplest-put nature of this layer of the plans I have laid."
Lilian Rook	Along the way, Cantio is very helpfully and optimistically told (by Lilian rudely reading her mind, probably), "It's not as if having your eyes open would do you any good; you still wouldn't see me coming. Or do you want your brain to leak out your nostrils?" And probably the same at Hibiki. "Forget about the Sisters. I did their trial a couple of years ago. They won't come near the bearer of Night Mist." Lilian just sort of makes a noise when Kale starts talking. "Thank you. I didn't build it and I wasn't even born here." She relents a moment in her tone. "But it's home." A weak smile is forthcoming for Rita, then immediately suppressed. "Most is Cecilia's work. But otherwise, Katrina. Alison." she says. "And a slew of aunts and grandmothers I've never met." A pause. "Those are mine." she says, looking at the lilies. "And those are . . ." Lilian trails off staring at the hydrangeas. She just keeps walking. "Ishirou is correct, Hearthward. Long ago, clan and kin used to be everything. The largest unit of humanity anyone particularly cared for. She hasn't . . ." Lilian glances sideways to the POD. "I don't know if she's just stuck in her ways, she doesn't really care, or hasn't . . . conceived, really, of the fact that it's just the five of us now. If she can conceive of it." She scoffs at Candy on the way in. "Nobody likes that, Candelario. It's the primary reason that imbeciles believe the police exist. Sub-imbeciles dream of shooting uninvited visitors daily." says Lilian. "Well, I suppose I did too, for a few weeks afterwards." Tamamo is handling the bulk of the questioning from there, so Lilian takes her opportunity to depart towards the center of the chamber, tracing around the linework etched into the ancient floor with her path, and then diverts towards the door with the armoured pictograph. Her face turns just the tiniest bit red when she hears Tamamo say 'that solution'. "I don't think she dislikes you or anything, Tamamo. But it's already very rare for anyone to retain more than a quarter of their ego like that. Please forgive her for perhaps missing the tenth she'd need to judge." The remainder of the hanging question need be answered, so Lilian does. "Aobheil. She's my, great--" There are a large number of greats. "Grandmother, technically. She's also quite dead. As are most of the people on this property. But she's easily the oldest, and the sharpest. I'm sure you've heard of how ghosts work. She's been presiding over the family reliquary for generations, and takes it quite seriously. These days, I'm typically the only one allowed in here." A little smirk crosses her lips. "Much to a certain someone's displeasure. Ever since she decided I should have Night Mist. You could say her unfinished business is--" "Thyself, Líle. And this business is none of mine. Thou know dire well the consequences." 'Blink, and a single woman occupies the far center. Unusually tall, raven-haired unbound, clad in a green cloak over a short-sleeved black dress, fastened with fine leather and bright gold, she could be called 'fair' were it not for the criss-crossing scars on her hands, arms, neck, and face, three above the chin alone, over her nose, around her jaw, and cheek to forehead on the opposite side, as if she'd simply started running out of room. Her eyes are piercingly green. Her hands are folded over the pommel of Killer in the Night Mist, point down in the ground before her. One can just see through her if they squint, by the motes of dust that drift through her, but the pressure she exudes is conspicuously immense.
Lilian Rook	It's very unusual to see Lilian jump upright like that. The way she spins around on her heel to face, ramrod stiff, speaks of one part upsetting a parent and three parts being caught by teacher. "Ah, you were awake then. I'm s--" It's equally weird to see someone just brazenly cut Lilian off as well. "I know well enough that thou knew as equally true. Thy means and choices of knowing have never been well beyond me, Líle. I will hear nothing more from thee. Thou hast spoken of this far too long already. And thou shalt hear nothing more from myself until it is time I should decide what becomes of this." The wind visibly falls out of Lilian's sails. "I wouldn't have, if this didn't mean everything. It should even to you. I'm truly sorry for the way this makes you feel, but not for doing it. They're already here. Just let them talk." The ghost considers but moments. "Leave us." "Then how should--" "Leave us or I shall near not another word. If thou would I talk then no word of it should be meant for thy ears." Lilian bites her lip, then sets her jaw and turns back. "Good luck." she whispers, on her way out. The doors know how to grind shut behind her. It's much more intense being directly under Aobheil's gaze, without Lilian in the way as the subject of focus. The bulk of it seems to rest on Tamamo, without singling her out in particular. "Hast that girl not suffered enough? Not fallen far enough for thy pleasing? This trouble of is of thy own making, and yet whence comes the time for thy wanton debt to be paid, it is what remains of her legacy that thou plunder for aid. What excuse hath thee?"
Kale Hearthward	> "Thank you. I didn't build it and I wasn't even born here. But it's home." "I... see. I guess I can sort of relate, what I'd call home isn't where I was born, either..." Kale is considering Lilian's explanations, rubbing his beak, when he hears Lilian startle - and then he himself startles in turn when he sees the sudden appearance. "Ah-" he cuts off what he was going to say. The two are talking. He takes the time to look her up and down, endeavouring to not look like he's actually doing so, eyes moving while his head stays still. "..." Lilian gets dismissed. "Wait-" Kale starts to say, but cuts himself off. This is... probably not one of those negotiable things. "... Thank you," he whispers back. And then they're alone. Well, not alone - there's still seven of them, facing down Aobheil, but Lilian's presence feels outsized in its absence. "... It's... funny like that," he says, in answer to Aobheil's question, trying to come up with a satisfactory answer. "We're here to help her, and that means... going in and taking from her legacy, yes." "My excuse is that I'd want the same, honestly. I wouldn't want to hoard what I have, if it'd make things easier, even for a mistake a comrade made that they were responsible for fixing. And Lilian's never been one to not be generous."
Ishirou	Ishirou nearly jumps when Aobheil speaks and appears, then gets one of those chills down his spine like someone was walking over his grave. Though he is starting to see where Lilian gets her mannerisms from. He very quickly is starting to see this. With a breath, he steadies himself...no time to be on death's door now. Watching Lilian get dismissed and Lilian taking it is...probably the most frightening thing Ishirou has ever seen in his life. A chill goes through his veins the moment she is gone because nobody can now protect him from the eyes of that woman. He turns with a creaking sound towards Aobheil as she addresses them directly. "Would...you rather the opposite happen? That she changes in the way that her family would like? If what I'm thinking is correct...you granted her the sword /because/ she wasn't like them. She's changing and it's for the better. If that's my fault, then I'm not going to apologize for it." Ishirou is finding his courage again because it's a /friend/ he's here for and nothing else. "What's the point of a legacy if there is no one to carry it on? Should the piece be the price, then I'd give a million of them up for her. ...But that's me, and not you. ...Oh I'm Ishirou by the way, I don't think we've properly met.."
Candy	"But not you guys," Candy grinningly fires back at Lilian, glancing around the circular chamber. "One of you decided curses and spikes up the ass was way better than the shooting. And here we are," he says, arms wide. Rita's painkillers are accepted graciously, with a split-lipped smile from Candy. He goes back to fidgeting with his suspenders, thereafter. "I know nobody would judge us," he quietly answers. "Lilian even said, 'you don't gotta be here every step of the way.' But I want to, even if I don't gotta." There's a glance towards Lilian, then Ishirou, running his hand through his hair with a thoughtful frown briefly making an appearance. "I get what you mean," he says to Rita. With his hands stuffed into his pockets, Candy nods his understanding of Tamamo's explanation. "A trap, kinda," he says, dragging one out to rub against his chin. "Well, maybe I can help. 'Person shaped,' 'valuable,' 'durable,' that stuff I can do. Something that's 'linked to' Lilian, though..." he can't think of anything. Certainly, he can think of things she likes, things he associated with her, but this presents an abstract challenge. He blinks. Lilian is asked to leave, and everyone (most notably, Tamamo) is left to weather Aobheil's gaze. He tries to put on a tough face, but Aobheil's first question dashes that rather soundly. "All of these," he says, pointing out his injuries with an index finger and then Ishirou's, with a side motion of his thumb, "Me and him earned helping 'that girl.' I'd do it again. He would. And so would anybody else here." Candy removes his newsie cap, holding it anxiously between his hands. "You got it all wrong. She hasn't 'fallen.' We ain't here to drag her down. We've all watched her start opening up to people, taking care of herself, every day getting stronger. In here," he says, tapping a finger against his chest, over his heart, "Is as strong as her sword arm now." He furrows his brow, frowning uncomfortably. "You care about her a lot, to know how much she used to suffer. Well, she's not, now. She's got her ups and downs like any one of us, but this Lilian is happier than the one I used to know by a damn wide margin. Now, everything's lined up to where some asshole can fuck it all up just by reaching his big stupid hand over," Candy says, fingers squeezing his hat in frustration. "I'm sorry--but I gotta ask you for that thing, even if it's her 'legacy.' The Lilian that's here, right now, needs it."
Cantio	"How cruel, creating more work for Cecilia. What would she think?" Cantio asks, at first only considering the literal work involved in cleaning brains and gore, then realizing that that might come off as some kind of emotional blackmail, and then doubly realizing that Lilian probably knows that her mind went in such directions already. She lets out an awkward sigh, then keeps quiet while busying herself with just looking around the place on the way further down. Tamamo explains the purpose of coming here at all, and it starts raising more questions in Cantio's head. "A vessel that's... Also wanting to become one? But with more control over itself before becoming free?" She guesses, trying to condense that answer a little more. Finally, the identity of the mysterious person is revealed! Cantio pumps her hand a little when she really does turn out to be an elder in Lilian's family, although her moment of joy is shot down rather quickly when it turns out that she's some kind of ghost. "Ghosts in general, or ghosts here?" That question, meanwhile, gets answered relatively quickly once the scarred woman appears. Her appearance is a strange one that Cantio can't help but stare at, but she keeps her gaze respectful (and also mildly intimidated) while Aobheil speaks. She remains quiet even when the elder orders Lilian to leave, and it's only after the doors shut that Cantio finally remembers to breathe before speaking. "She needs help. Yes, we've caused a lot of trouble for her before, and even though it was for the better, it was... I can't speak for anyone else, but it was mostly for selfish reasons in my case. We've never been on great terms, but I..." She pauses, closing her eyes to take another breath as though she can't believe what she's about to say. "... I want to try and make things better for her at least this one time." Cantio wrinkles her nose briefly, then glances over at everyone else gathered in the room (notably Hibiki and Candy). "Everyone else believes in her being better than I've seen, and I want to believe it, too." A beat, and then Ishirou reminds her to do one more thing: "Oh! My name's Cantio, second goddess of Cadenza. Pleased to meet you."
Tamamo	'I think she means 'foreign' as in 'from outside the family', Mr. Hearthward.' Though Lilian had already confirmed this for Rita, Tamamo adds, "It is so, and were one to limit the question to those within, why... I would not afford optimism for their chances, in this case, as impolite as it is say so." It's not that Tamamo doesn't notice the way each looks away. She just thinks it kinder not to mention it. 'I... I gotta admit, it is a bit of a weird feeling. You asking for help, I mean. I-it's not bad or anything! Just... Unexpected?' "Oh, you may blame my own worried nature for this, I suppose." Tamamo says to Cantio. "A little more help here and there sets my mind at greater ease, and I am not quite so concerned with taking on each task on my own, should I care more for a successful result than the process by which it is reached. Is it not always so? Ah, but I do care some for 'the process,' as well." The bulk of it seems to rest on Tamamo, without singling her out in particular. It is rare, as known by those who pay attention to what their eyes see, to see Tamamo bow, at all. She does, now, if only to that shallow angle. The specifics of its meaning are likely to be lost. If she's startled, she doesn't show it, though in truth, the appearance is both new and surprising to her. She's seen plenty of ghosts, before, but not quite like this. "I suppose no introductions are required, though I shall still call it a pleasure to meet you, and still shall I name myself. I am known as Tamamo-no-mae. Please pardon my lateness." 'Grandmother.' Lilian is given a small smile on the way out, which smooths over when Tamamo turns again to look at Aobheil. 'Hast that girl not suffered enough?' "I would have said so, yet I find I cannot keep her at home. She is a knight, after all. She is called to battle, still, into danger, trials and suffering. To support her from some rearward position, and to speak against only that which brings me the greatest fear for her, is all I am permitted, being not a warrior." 'This trouble of is of thy own making,' "Would you say so? I place blame upon those who have most recently invaded and occupied London. This present plan to strike against that which haunts and seeks her from outside the boundaries of the world is one I have devised, that is not 'the trouble.'" '...it is what remains of her legacy that thou plunder for aid.' "There is no better method, and on this we have agreed, though as to whether another method exists, I cannot say there is none. Should you refuse, even so, it is only that we shall need find an inferior substitute, meet with greater danger and, in the worst event, Lilian shall undertake some far more reckless task to accomplish a similar goal, following the failure of this present plan. Such is the price of necessity." But those are only answers to her questions. It's not a means of convincing anyone, and so, Tamamo continues. "Forgive my ignorance, but is this not the purpose of a family's armor, that it protect each family's heir? It is for such a purpose as it would be put to use, and I regret only that the adversary is so great that I cannot promise its safe return. This, too, is not so strange a concern for a line of warriors, no?"
Hibiki Tachibana	"Well, that's good," Hibiki shoots back to Lilian on their way in, after a moment of raised eyebrows...before settling into a small smile. It's been a minute since she got mind read, come to think of it. Funny, how one time she was trying so hard to figure out what her deal was, and now they can have moments like this. "Not that I'd really be worried even if they did show up." For obvious reasons. Back in the present, the mention of Aobheil...wow, that /is/ a lot of 'greats'. It's sure not her first encounter with ghosts of the Rook property either, but having it spoken about so plainly is a little funny. She can't help but wonder just how many spirits actually still linger around-- Oh. That's her. Lilian isn't the only one who jolts to attention, though at least Hibiki's is only from raw surprise. In any other situation, getting that kind of reaction out of Lilian would be a sight to remember, but right now...the scar-covered woman demands her full regard. Everything from appearance to the aura she gives off...if anyone has the power to cut Lilian off mid-sentence, yeah, she's not surprised it's someone like her. There's sort of the same vibe as when they met with Scathach. Only sort of. Hibiki shifts back more towards neutral as their guide is told to leave, grimacing slightly as she goes. "We'll see you soon," she murmurs, before facing forward again. Aobheil's direct attention is stifling, but her expression remains steady. "...Everyone here knows she's suffered more than enough." The first thing she says is a quiet and low response to what's obviously a rhetoric question, her hands tensing a bit at her sides. "And that's just part of why everyone is here trying to help her now. I'm not going to make any excuses; it's as simple as that. She's already been through more than anyone should. If it means she can keep the life and smile has now, after all that..." "...I'd use as many legacies or whatever else it takes. We're not here to 'plunder' anything, though. If it's her legacy, and she seriously needs it, what's wrong with wanting to do that for her sake?"
Rita Ma	"... the fact that it's just the five of us now." Rita's brow furrows. She dredges up fuzzy memories, sparing Tamamo a sideways glance. "Don't you mean six, Ms. Rook?" The chamber alone had given Rita chills. Aobheil materializing, and her withering gaze, make her stand up rigidly straight and hug herself anxiously. When Lilian turns to leave, Rita makes an uncomfortable face on her behalf and waves after her. "I'm sorry, Ms. Rook. I think it'll be okay." When she manages to overcome her instinctive deer-in-headlights response enough, Rita bows deeply to Aobheil and speaks in a more formal tone, much like she did with the yakuza head. "What Mr. Candelario says is true, Lady Aobheil. Ms. Rook is afflicted with something grave. I do not fully understand it, but I know that if we do not intervene, it may take her from us. And from you, and the family." "We have already gone to Dun Scaith on her behalf, and endured a trial by the Warrior Maiden Scáthach in search of a cure. She tested our devotion to Ms. Rook and did not find it lacking. Your bearing does remind me of her; have you met?"
Lilian Rook	PRIOR: "When have you ever once objected to anything up the ass, Candelario?" is Lilian's parting shot. A little wince follows Tamamo's self-professed impoliteness, but shedoesn't stop to correct. "You're right. That'd be work better suited to Katrina." Lilian says to Cantio enigmatically, explaining nothing. A raw sigh briefly escapes her when Rita speaks. "If only." she murmurs, hoarse. PRESENT: Aobheil narrows her eyes when Kale makes assertions on the topic of generosity. At first, it's as if she suspects he might be lying. Then, that he might be stupid. And then, the soul-scorching stare of appraisal when she considers he might be telling the truth. "To spend freely the possessions that are thine alone is one thing. To fritter away those hard won things bled for by thy ancestors, meant to be passed down to hands long after thine own, is another entirely. Do not be mistaken. I give gladly the sword, first amongst the legacy of Aodhan. That girl was meant for it. Its graven dedication writ for her, thou she hast only just begun to understand it. It am given some semblance of life once again, to see need of the art and to teach the sword once again. But even should she be the only one whose interest sparks here, the girl is not the clan and the clan is not the girl. There will be others. And it is no simple and trivial thing to loan out that which may well as be pieces of mineself, and the memories they contain." Indeed, beside the much older dialect of the language Lilian was just speaking in front of her, Aobheil could easily remind him of her at a glance. Despite centuries of drift, the family resemblance is strangely strong. Stronger than with her mother, even. Lilian has her jaw, her eyes, her hands. "The wayward whoreson has expended his power over her." Aobheil says to him. "The disappointment from Éirinn as well. It is by miracles alone that that girl yet lives. They hath no further power to mold their progeny, broken as they are. But one day even that girl will find children of her own. As will the elder sister and brother. And on the day their elders are dead and gone, they shalt hath need of the ground sheltered by the Elder Rowan as well. I am well able to wait another century or two." She absorbs the names, but doesn't repeat her own. Lilian had functionally already introduced her. Aobheil looks to Candy. "Though I hath little reach beyond this place, Líle speaks much of that which she cannot say with others, and she is not so difficult to read for one such as I. I know well enough. I will not thank thee; that she wouldst finally apply that charismatic gravity to building a table of her own is relief, not charity. But I know just as well the three seasons of turmoil that hath warped her edge just as well. Even shouldst thou feel kindly now, it was no kind and accepting world for a girl of that kind to enter, and such damage I am slower to forgive than she." But she gives him a weird look when he mentions 'some asshole'. Staring as if her gaze could penetrate his skull, into his brain, and read his memories. "She hath allowed thee to know more than I expected."
Lilian Rook	Aobheil near cuts off Cantio as well. "Be not so conceited. That girl must know very well what thy ambitions to do right by her are. Why wouldst thou think thyself permitted to go amongst her cohort, after all thou hast done? That girl is so gravely receptive to even the worst of humanity, should within them be a desire to reject the call of evil thought and deed." Hibiki is transfixed with a look more piercing than the rest. "Does she? With what certainty can thou say that she hath dire need of such a thing? Not to don it on the day of her worthiness, but to clean away a mistake thou hast no understanding of. We all hath struggles, scars, temptations, and such precarious balances, to bear, if our lives hath meant anything of worth. What is so grave about one more stigmata, one more gnawing doubt, amongst all the rest? What wouldst thou know of them?" Rita's formality seems to sooth that posture somewhat. There's a weird kind of pattern at play, where the less English she uses, the more Aobheil seems to be sparing energy to listen. "In life." Aobheil just admits like it's nothing. "Though I was not so favoured a pupil as the demigod Sentata, I was once a warrior of Éirinn as well. Scáthach did always have a preference for the rare woman amongst her warriors." The ghost's fingers drum soundlessly over the pommel of her phantasmal duplicate of the sword, somewhat more reasonably sized on her frame. "The Shadow is not one whose judgment I wouldst second-guess lightly. Nor wouldst she part with anything of hers any more easily than I of mine." Despite her best efforts to maintain a hard gaze, she twitches just a little in her thoughtfully intimidating fidget-gesture when Rita brings up 'taking her from you'. Tamamo is met with a length of silence that would be considered impolitely frosty by all rights, but Aobheil gives no indication she is even aware how long her conflicted reverie lasts. "Well met, Lady of the Pale-Gold Face." she says, relenting a little in guardedness. "I know at least of thy own devotion to matters of that girl's welfare and heart. Should only fate hath conspired a decade sooner." Silence again. The ghost frowns. The finger drumming speeds up. It's evidently very hard to argue with either of those very confident assertions, especially on the back of everyone else. How does anyone argue that armour is for any reason but protecting a warrior? ". . . Thou know more of that Saxon capital than thou shouldst." Aobheil dovetails strangely. "To lay such blame thusly is . . . Thou art not wrong to do so. Wiser than most. But take care that thou not believe too faithfully in nine tenths of a truth. When I permitted her to bear the sword, it was to chase away no phantom, nor slay an invading evil, though it would inevitably be used for both. It was so that she wouldst know a companion. Feel a kindred spirit in her arms. Put otherwise, it was to guard her against the worst of herself." Aobheil scans the others for reactions at Tamamo's claims of 'greater danger.' "Of this foreign ritual, what hast thou told them? Of thou gathered, what know thee of the peril thou shalt inevitably face? What dost thou earnestly believe thou may do for that girl that no other couldst? What meaning hast thy sword arm different from any other?" "Take heed, and take it well. The battle thou shouldst choose to fight is unwinnable with force of arms and nothing else. Thou shalt more likely as not meet with thy own doom, shouldst thou have no meaningful answer. An enemy may be beaten into submission with strength and cunning, but a heart is not so tangible a foe. What is it thou know? Why is it that thou care? And what is it that thou see in her?"
Kale Hearthward	Kale is as common as dirt. For all his aspirations to nobility, he's the offspring of two farmers who went off to help found a commune. And while eschewing modern society to go be one with the land and bake the bird equivalent of pot brownies is noble in its own way, it doesn't leave much to work with in terms of classical 'legacy'. (Though to be fair, Kale has a ribbon-winning recipe waiting for him to come back and claim one day, if he so cares.) So the talk of actual clans and actual legacies is maybe a bit grating, and also a bit difficult, since he doesn't have any sort of shared experience to draw from here, and since he otherwise considers Lilian to be on somewhat-near ground to him, otherwise. He sets that all aside, and focuses. "... When god gives you gifts, give them to none other. When your ancestors give you gifts, give them to none outside your line. When your enlightenment earns you gifts, give them to none who are unenlightened. Code seven, right?" Kale recites (well, paraphrases) it from memory, no note card required. "Lilian's code. Important to her, I imagine it's important to you as well. Likely the most important one for you right at this moment, for obvious reasons. I get it." "... I was talking to her about it earlier, actually. In terms of... what's considered outside aid. Why we're all helping her. She's..." He gestures to the rest of the room. "Fought, and gotten hurt in the process, for pretty much all of us here. Either directly or otherwise. She's bled, literally. Code six. Power bled for is power earned. Power bargained for is not. We're here not because she's bargained for us, but because she's bled for us." "That was... not actually the first thing that came to mind, when I was thinking about blood, though. It's mentioned again elsewhere in the code - the first code, in fact. It's the first one, and it literally says that it's 'above all else'." Kale takes a breath. "I've bled for Lilian. I was thinking, at the time, that I'd end up dying for it. Most people here, again, either were there or have had something similar." "You are responsible to your blood first above all else, both the blood of your line, and the blood shed for thee." "This is Lilian's responsibility to us. While you have responsibilities of your own, I ask you to weigh that in consideration." Some part of him is anticipating getting cut in two for attempting to invoke the code like this, and he's bracing for that, but - well, he's trying it anyway.
Ishirou	Ishirou nods to what Tamamo was saying, it was actually a really good point, armor is made to protect. Even if it was not being used in the /traditional/ sense, it was still doing its purpose! That just lends strength to his own argument. Though it's good to see that Aobheil doesn't have much love for Lilian's dad. Greater danger doesn't get MUCH of a response from Ishirou, he's gotten a greater hold on the situation. He knows that the armor is important because it requires a sympathetic connection. Though he's not sure about the killing. Though they'd have to cross that bridge when they come to it. He was going to be there, so he could figure it out pretty fast. Without any hesitation, he answers Aobheil's question. People who know him usually knows he takes careful measure to speak most of the time, he tries to figure out the right words, or at least run things back against his own experiences. "I care because Lilian is important to me. She...she treated me like a person when I thought I was just a flawed machine. She risked her own life to find the truth about what the Androids from Indus are." "She helped me become the person I am right now, the one who's absolutely terrified of the ghost standing in front of him and the danger that she is telling them, but still willing to face it because she taught me what it means to be brave and strong. She's inspired me to become /better/ than I was, to seek growth. She's helped guide me when I needed it most." "She's something more than just a friend. Someone who's done that for me...I'd call her family. She's a sister to me, and I can't just sit by and let her continue on like this. There is a plan, and I'd trust Tamamo just as much as I do Lilian."
Cantio	EARLIER "Hmn... yeah, I can understand that much. Even smaller projects can be a lot less stressful with extra hands, so something huge like this... I'm glad you're both trusting me with this." Cantio gives Tamamo a thoughtful nod, stopping to consider what Lilian means by namedropping another one of her maids (probably). She'll need to ask Tamamo about that later, but she's almost certain it's nothing good. NOW "Of course she does. She's a..." Cantio's temper flares up momentarily, and she's about to say something rather unkind about Lilian, but she stops herself before talking a little more calmly. "... You're right. This is more for selfish reasons than for her benefit. Speaking plainly, she's less dangerous to me and everyone else around her if she's more in control of herself compared to the alternative." She looks towards literally everyone else in the room, already recalling that battle within Lilian's mind and shuddering briefly at recalling that ordeal. "... It's both. This selfish reason, and that other one I gave before." There's a pause, and then she grumbles before adding a little too hastily, as if trying to sound convincing. "... Only a little, though! It's still more for me." Cantio notices Aobheil's reaction to what Rita says, especially when the elder just ends up spilling the details on her past with so many familiar names and even more that aren't, paying particular attention once the Shadow and the reason for bequeathing that weapon come forth. There's a skeptical look on her face when the elder mentions that the purpose of it 'was to guard her against the worst of herself', but she remains queit even if her surface thoughts (skewed as they are) are easy enough to read on her face alone. The mention of 'greater danger', meanwhile, gets a more uncomfortable grunt from Cantio. "I don't know much about what the danger is specifically, just that there's some kind of spirit and a vessel involved that the spirit might want to... Inhabit? And then free itself from before we can force it in with our own..." She gestures vaguely. "Methods. Admittedly, I'm not an expert in spirits, but as for sword arms..." Cantio's confident enough in that, but she grimaces slightly when Aobheil outright says that beating up stuff isn't going to cut it here. She lets out an uncomfortable noise at being asked about why she cares and what she sees, thinking for a while longer before speaking up once more. "I don't know a lot personally. I know that just about everyone here knows more about these rituals, and they definitely have a better opinion of Lilian than I do. Mostly better experiences, too...?" She guesses, looking towards Rita and Kale without quite knowing some more recent details. Tamamo and Ishirou are more of a given, and she's purposely not looking at Hibiki and Candy after considering some things she's seen, heard, and guessed about. "I gave you my personal reasons for this already, but it's also..." Cantio hems and haws, looking intensely uncomfortable while groaning again after several seconds. "I want to be wrong about her. She's shown some signs of being a better person than I think she is, but our past has been kind of... Awful? So I'd like to have more time to find out if she really is as good as everyone else thinks she is. I want to see it with my own eyes instead of just believing everyone else." Cantio still sounds like she'd rather have done anything but admit that.
Rita Ma	Rita does her best to maintain her demure demeanor, but her jaw tightens at the mention of Aobheil's forgiveness. Her spine remains rigid, and yet for a moment or two, it is a different kind of rigidity: not trying to stand against outward pressure without collapsing, but trying to contain inward pressure without rupturing. She succeeds. It passes without reaching her face or her tongue. "I appreciate, Lady Aobheil, that you have Ms. Rook's wellbeing at heart. I am glad that she has had such a steadfast supporter." Her gaze turns to Tamamo in time with Aobheil's. Her own idea of what's afflicting Lilian, and what's going to be done about it precisely, is a little fuzzy- but those questions have already been asked. Her posture towards its possible danger is 'anxious, but determined, and doing her meager best not to seem the former'. "My connection with Ms. Rook is that..." Her formal tone falters as she searches for words. This feels like more of a 'confession' than a proclamation. "That is to say, I... No, I can't do this. I'm sorry, Ms. Aobheil. I-" She takes a tentative step forward, looking pre-emptively awkward about what she's going to ask. "Is it okay if I whisper it in your ear? I don't want to say it out loud. For me and for her." If she's given permission to deliver it thus, her whispered confession is: "Ms. Rook tells me that there's something wrong with her heart. That what it tells her to do isn't good, but she wants to be good anyway. That's why the Code is so important to her. That's why people like you and Ms. Tamamo, who can ground her, are so important to her. To remind her of what 'being good' means." "And I feel the same way. That there's something wrong with my heart. The things it wants are awful. Everyone else thinks that, because I make myself do good things, I must be good deep down. But I'm not. And Ms. Rook understands that." "She helps keep me grounded. I don't want to be lonely like that: to not have anyone who understands, again. And I don't want her to be lonely, either. That's why."
Candy	"Don't think she knows I know," says Candy softly to Aobheil, letting his hands fall to his sides, one hand limply grasping his hat. "Never seemed like a good time or way to bring it up," he admits. "Don't know what I'd even say." Candy's work boot scuffs against the floor. Steeling himself, he takes his attention away from the floor to face her again. "I probably don't know as much as the next person," he says. "But I know that sword is the only thing that worked. You know?" He chuckles softly. "I had 'why' it worked wrong. But I think I understand it now, once you talk about the heart. It's not some ghost. Is it?" Candy rocks on his heels. "...I care 'cause Lilian proved me wrong in pretty much every fucking way." He frowns, slightly, remembering something painful. "Every single time I met her, from the first on, until she went from 'some rich asshole' to 'someone I can work with' to 'one of the best people I've met.'" Having brushed a tender spot in his anxious bouncing, Candy centers himself and stuffs his hat into his pocket. "When I look at her," he begins, more certain, "I see somebody that realized early on the world wasn't gonna be kind to her. And despite all the bullshit she had to go through, she came out the other end a goddamn good person. She decided to put kindness into the world, instead of taking it out, even if a lot of people treated half as bad as she was end up making that decision." His eyes gleam with determination. "I'm not helping because I'm so great--I'm helping 'cause she's worth it." Candy sucks in a breath. "I know I can't fix everything. But whether it's a ghost, or whether it's a temptation, she's worth at least trying. She'd try. Even for a dummy like me."
Hibiki Tachibana	''Does she? With what certainty can thou say that she hath dire need of such a thing?'' Hibiki's expression falters just enough to make way for a small grimace, her lips pursing together. There's no argument to that. To say she has full understanding of that mistake, that affliction, or even all sorts of other things would be a blatant lie, and she goes quiet for a time. All the way until Aobheil questions Tamamo on what they've been told of the ritual, where she straightens up some from where she had gone still. 'What is so grave about one more stigmata, one more gnawing doubt, amongst all the rest? What wouldst thou know of them?' "...I don't know a lot of things. But I know she still has plenty of those. A whole lot, and there's going to be even more in the future." She murmurs quietly, faintly echoing Tamamo's sentiment of what Lilian is 'called for'. Her hand comes up to clutch onto the front of her jacket, over her chest. "I know that because I have them too, just like anybody else. Even now, after everything that's happened. Maybe it's not that special. You're right. All of that just comes with being human. But...!" 'What is it thou know?' "I know that whether it's something big or small, if I'm ignorant about it or not, if I can help take that off of her shoulders--I want to do it!" 'Why is it that thou care?' "Because Lilian is someone important to me! Not even just me." She looks around - at everyone, in turn. Even Cantio. And Rita, who she lingers on a half second longer than the others. "...And I don't need any reason more than that to care about her. She's gone from someone I respected even when she looked down on me, to someone I hated more than anyone and refused to listen to, to someone I desperately wanted to try to save before it was too late...!" 'And what is it that thou see in her?' "...And now she's my friend! Someone who'll embarrass me on open radio, invite me to her beach parties without a second thought, send me a late New Years present with an apology letter even when she didn't have to, and take the initative to make huge idiots get over themselves even when another huge idiot crashes onto the island and makes everything harder! When it was already hard for her!" "...So I want to protect that. No matter what. For her...and for me too."
Tamamo	'Your bearing does remind me of her; have you met?' Tamamo refrains from commenting on Lilian's increasing propensity toward spending time with tall women of commanding mien. 'But take care that thou not believe too faithfully in nine tenths of a truth.' 'Feel a kindred spirit in her arms. Put otherwise, it was to guard her against the worst of herself.' Tamamo goes quiet in contemplation. '...a heart is not so tangible a foe. What is it thou know?' "A 'temptation,' was it...? True, it was another that asked the question, yet it was always she who needed answer. One may speak of trials that must be conducted on one's own, and one may speak long over the proper level of aid to grant, especially to one's own child. To keep her connected to this world, it was necessary for her to know kin. Without that sword, she would be lost, already. For that, you have my deepest gratitude," not for making the obvious decision, but, "for holding to this place with such strength as to be here to grant it to her." Though she's picked up a bit of English over the past two years, there hasn't been any need to use it, here. All the better for present company, perhaps, if there's no issue with understanding that archaic dialect of Japanese that allows Tamamo to speak most fluidly. Apart from one term. "Ah, they call such the 'supplicant class' now, do they not? If it is, indeed, not some other thing than I have concluded. That is no matter, I suppose; a name decided upon by others is only that, a symbol of convenience." 'Why is it that thou care? And what is it that thou see in her?' "It is..." Golden eyes unfocus, looking elsewhere, recalling another time. "...oft considered impolite, to speak of such things as I might. It is, further, improper to speak of some things to one, as have not yet been concluded between oneself and another. There are times and places for wishes to be uttered aloud. These are personal matters, and yet, I must acknowledge your right to some answer, beyond the known fact of my care." 'Some' answer, she'd said. "To your second-to-last question, then. Though there are other histories as have been written of myself, know that it is for love that I live and breathe, and that the depths beneath this answer are the same as its surface. To your last question, I will tell you, that upon our first meeting, I did ask Lilian for her wish. And she did tell me..." Tamamo's eyes close for a moment. When she opens them again, "...that she would become the greatest knight as had ever lived, greater than King Arthur and Gilgamesh both." Proudly. Adoringly. "I have watched her grow, since then, and, in some ways, I have seen her temper and harden, but I hope for her to never lose that dream. Ah, no, I should rather call it greed and ambition, that I hope for her to keep. There are those who harden until they crack, and they lose their dreams, choosing instead to be beaten into smaller shapes, useful only to others. There are still others who choose to flee the world entirely, unable to withstand its pressure upon them, and having lost care for what should become of it. One who can retain a child's dream, an ambition to be greater than the world, avoids either fate."
Lilian Rook	Aobheil regards Kale with renewed . . . something. It's hard to tell. The stare of a ghost is already chilling, and the woman already must have been terrifyingly intense while alive. But he might get the sense that she's suddenly taking him a lot more seriously as an individual. "The Code of Thirteen. After mine own time, but derived from it. I am familiar." she says, tasting her words one at a time. "I swore to such a thing, once. Long before the eight-times damned crusades did plunder the very idea in the name of God. That one is not mine, but I know very well how very serious they are to that girl." Even that aggrieved little sigh she makes is kind of familiar. "Yes, I suppose it is the matter of that girl's confidence. Less should I abide her transgression, and more should Líle return to me, for shunning oaths sacred to her." She watches Ishirou and Cantio, Candy and Hibiki, with a sort of resigned, yet attentive air. They are, after all, answering exactly the question she asked. "Like Family, is it? Treat delicately, the gravity of those words thou wield. Thou art already more close to her than her prodigal brother." Aobheil says to Ishirou. "Thou hast no need of such thin hostility, child. Unless thou wouldst wish to rouse me to duel, at least. Thy feelings are as plain of day, beneath the grinding of thy words." she says to Cantio. "I blame thee little. The pale and shallow ways of the whoreson are still laid thick upon her. Of all my descendents to raise her, I curse the gods each day that it should be he who lived where others did not. The man who wouldst uproot the Elder Rowan hath no place naming a child, much less raising his hand to one. Hold hope that the stench of gold may become unbearable to her as it is to thee in time." she says to Candy. "See now why I hath sent away the girl? Cling tightly to such thoughts. Ruminate upon how thou may convey them, in the swiftest, shortest, and most direct means thou art capable of. This is thy only weapon in battling a heart torn between here and there." she says to Hibiki.
Lilian Rook	Rita's breakdown in formality earns a quirked brow and upturned chin. However scary as she is, Aobheil apparently cannot seem to abide telling a small girl 'no, and go away' in a state like this. She beckons Rita forward. Her presence is exactly as cold as a body should be warm, but tingles like a delicate touch. She remains silently impassive while taking in the whispered secret, head tilted to help bridge the gap that Rita's tiptoes cannot cross alone. What she says is only cryptic to everyone else. "Thou wouldst do well to ask her why. Such shapes are oft the curse of the true heirs of Aodhan. But more than anything, that one of the Four wouldst be born to this family . . . No matter." She lowers her voice to a near-whisper. "Is it not of dear value? To see that which thou cannot forgive thyself in another, so that thou may see it the way others see thee, and understand both their forgiveness and their love? The act of salvation by saving another." Finally, though, Aobheil laughs when Tamamo answers her. It's a hard-edged laugh, from someone who never did it enough, but something is deeply endearing to her all the same. "Childish as it must be, to exist in this age. What need hath anyone for honour and strength, battle and trial-forged friends, wild loves and long families, whence quietly living in unimaginable luxury, paid on the backs of serfs, is no longer the sole providence of the English king? The only thing that sorry descendent of mine ever did right was to let young Líle near those books. The only thing her brother hath ever truly done for her, beyond returning the sword here, was to shelter that dream." A wry smile tugs Aobheil's lips. "If thou art able to accept battle and friend, and would be her wild love and beget her long family, then so be it. Armour is to be used to protect a knight. It hath no other purpose." "It shall be thine, whence the sun rises. But Líle shall carry it. There is much I must tell her first."
Ishirou	Ishirou goes to say something but the words fail him. Closer to her than her brother...he hears the words. They take a moment to click in his mind. There is so much emotion on his face, just barely able to contain it. He knows she wouldn't lie to him, and he knows from just this conversation that she talks to her...probably one of the few Lilian can easily open up to. Ishirou rubs at his eyes taking a moment to calm himself down. Even more so when Aobheil relents, and agrees to release the armor. "Thank you, ma'am," he says, finally. Though he's sure now that it's not just some other thing...this is more tied to her heart than they thought. Though he guesses that was always the case. "I'll do everything I can to communicate my heart to her."