Scene #669: Offering the Truth

Owner	Pose
Faruja	It's with a heavier heart than usual that Faruja heads towards Union Medical. His interrogation of 'Kana', Ainsley's mother, not too long ago has certainly reminded him of the more depressing aspects of his job. The fact it's the lizardess that he loves more than any other that he must offer such painful truths to is nearly too much. One Zephyr Windstar, all but blood-sister to Ainsley, has been more or less dragged towards medical in desperation. The Inquisitor is /worried/ for his love. And there's few others he would trust so well to accompany him. Faruja turns to Zeph, and sighs as he lingers outside the door to Ainsley's medical room. "...Faram give us both strength. Thank ye, Lady Windstar. Let us get this over with." Knock knock knock. "Ainsley! Art ye decent, mine dear?" Should assent be given, in they go.
Zephyr Windstar	Zephyr reaches over, and places a comforting hand on the Inquisitors shoulder. "Ainsley is a strong, logical woman..." she offers the bermecian. "Tell it to 'er straight, no beatin' 'round th'bush." she advises, then waits for assent to enter. She's quietly steeling her nerves, though, going over what she could say to calm a potentially hysteric Quetzal. What do you think Dee? Just tell her thr truth, Master. Practice what you preach. Smart ass.
Ainsley	"Come in!" Ainsley tells the two of them, not particularly stressed one way or another. She finds herself seated on the bed in a part of shorts and a tanktop, something she was given because her clothes were soaked in blood and she didn't really want to look at that for very long. It set off cleanliness alarm bells every time she saw it. She had been sitting and thinking about the attack on her, in fact, and the brief glimpse she got when she got stabbed. It seemed familiar, and the fact that it was a Grey Scholar... She could connect the dots easily enough. It was, however, the babbling that got to her the most. Because she understood some of it. She lets out a sigh, and puts on a smile for Faruja and Zephyr, watching the door.
Faruja	Faruja needs the hand. When they enter? Faruja's likely more upset about events than Ainsley. Someone has Mommy issues. "Right. Lord's own truth. Trust her." A solid nod to Zephyr. He'd hug her, if he wasn't striding forward to get this done. "Ainsley. My sweet." Faruja smiles. She looks good enough, for being stabbed. And she's up, moving, and talking. There's a deep sigh of relief. "Faram be praised!" Did anyone expect him to /not/ utter such words? Faruja pulls out two convenient chairs, first for the wind mage, only to then sit himself. "...Well. I shall speak it true, my love." A deep breath. Faruja's teeth grit, anger coursing through him. It's just like his own Mother, another betraying her family. His claws scrape the wood of his chair. "Thine attacker, and likely the one whom slew the other Grey Scholars is thine Mother, Kana. She is...alive, but utterly mad. I hath not been able to discover the exact reason behind her actions, however...she claims that 'Dark Mana' hath overtaken her, in her hatred of..." A bitter smirk. "REligious men such as mineself, as well as her own inborn bitterness and hate."
Zephyr Windstar	Zephyr follows after Faruja, settling onto the chair and offering a smile of reassurance to her 'Sis'. She doesn't add anything, since she's not been privvy to any of the details, but she was dragged along to provide a moral support to both of her friends.
Ainsley	Ainsley looks at Faruja, the great amount of worry not being new to her... yet it makes her frown in a way that clearly shows she empathizes with the feeling. She grabs at her own tail to play with the feathers on the end, something she does as a nervous habit. Faruja confirms what she was suspecting, and that makes her heart sink, despite how... expected that it would be. She's too hopeful of a creature to disregard such news, and she still feels like the Scholars are a family that she's just estranged from. She nods at him once. "Mother has always been unstable. It's why Father left, I imagine. That may have just made it worse, and then when I left..." She lets out a sigh. "She was alone. She wanted to protect her family from the intense emotion and darkness that fills Quetzal society, but she didn't know... how to do that. She did not allow me to get the blessing that ensures I would grow up properly because she was paranoid that the priests brainwashed people, and she felt the surging emotion that some Quetzals feel needed to be suppressed, so she had us all join the Grey Scholars." Ainsley shakes her head. "If she attacked me, and killed others, then I cannot help but think it was caused by her husband and daughter leaving the Scholars."
Faruja	Faruja reaches out, and will gently rub Ainsley's tail should she let him. Faruja is silent alongside Zephyr, the nezumi finally sighing. "...I pity her." He admits, finally. She's a murderer, Heretic, and wretch. But he can't help but feel some amount of sorrow for the woman. Then his features harden. "But her crimes offer nay excuse. Doth ye know aught of this 'Black Mana', Ainsley? I...hate to press ye. But surely ye know I must see this to the end. 'Tis mine duty in life, after all. And mayhaps shall offer closure to those lost." It's hard to play investigator with his love, but he'll do it for her, and all those harmed by her Mother. Reach! Faruja draws Zephyr and Ainsley close for a group hug. "Doth not blame thyself, Ainsley. 'Twas her blade that drew blood. 'Tis nay excuse for murder, whatever insanity or circumstances given her!"
Zephyr Windstar	Zephyr returns the hug, and squeezes extra tight on the Quetzal. "The rat's a blowhard and too long winded for my tastes, but he's an honest guy, Sis... if y'know /anything/ at all." she says, then smiles softly at her adoptive sister. "And if y'need anythin', lemme know, I'll bring it to ya."
Ainsley	"I know..." Ainsley says that to Faruja, reaching up to touch his cheek. She seems too lethargic to return the hug to either of them, made more haggard by this revelation than she anticipated. She realizes she should just let her emotion be... and she starts to cry some, silently. Teardrops fall from her eyes, weakly rubbed away with the palms of her hands. Sniff. "Y-yes. Black mana is... aah... A side effect of blood magic. It's the reason holy objects burn me after I've consumed life energies from something. It carries emotions, but it's usually negative emotion. But... the Quetzal home city uses it to power their wards and electrical systems. Misuse of blood magic can cause overflows." A furrow of her brow, realizing that her mother abused blood magic and that's what made this worse. Once she's given a moment, she reaches to hold them both in the hug, her long tail wrapping around their middles. "I will not stop you, Faruja."
Faruja	It might be telling of the circumstances that Faruja doesn't even comment towards Zephyr. For now. She'll get a good bonk on the head later! There's plenty of hugs from all parties though. And tears. Either of the two might notice Faruja trembling a bit even as he struggles to remain stoic and supportive. She's /crying/. He's stalk off and play Inquisitor with Kana, if he didn't realize that'd only make half of the equasion here feel better. Besides, it's bad diplomacy. "I shall be /fair/." He promises. No tricks. No usual Inquisitorial judgements. Just a lawkeeper doing his job. To do less /or/ more would be an insult. "But I shall be here for ye. Shhhh. 'Tis enough. Thank ye. We shall speak more of this later. How art ye feeling? Doth ye heal well?" Time to distract her. He looks desperately to Zephyr.
Zephyr Windstar	Zephyr catches the look, then reaches out to wipe some tears away from the Quetzal's eyes. "If ye feelin' up to it a bit later, I'll show ya some wind control tricks for your newly fledged powers. Whaddya say?" she offers, shifting over to sit beside the woman on the bed, leaning in close. "Or we could go flying. Maybe we could invite Evangeline and the Strike Witches along."
Ainsley	Ainsley nods gently to Faruja, accepting how he wants to handle it, and even approving of his effort to remain fair. She reaches to rub one of his arms, smiling at him... though she's still got tears on her face, which get wiped away by Zephyr's hand. "I want to go flying," she says to Zephyr. "It makes me feel free." And then she'd lean into the both of them, closing her eyes.
Faruja	Faruja slides Zeph a clean handkerchief. Never leave home without one, kids. "Methinks between Lady Evangeline and the good Strike Mages, ye all aught be a brilliant sight." States the rat gently. Squeeze. He hugs tight. Even as he worries, he's at least glad that she accepts it all. "Freedom. Yes." He mutters. Thank Faram for good friends.