Red Like Roses [Closed]

...

She didn't agree at all. Nor did she offer any explanation as to why she wanted this in the first place...The way she looked at him stuck in her mind and made her stomach turn. Despite the pleasant feeling, Hitomi didn't react much to having her head pet.

Before Hitomi could regain herself Tala slipped out of her grasp and began to walk forward. Hitomi's ears began to droop, but she followed along regardless. She needed to get a hold of herself. She didn't understand the feeling. It wasn't like she was worked up and needed to calm down. She just...ached? It had only gotten worse when Tala had up and shrugged her off.

It just...wasn't fair.

As they came to a stop Tala mentioned splitting up. Briefly, she seemed to brighten even with the mask. Her ears perked up, her feet shifting forwards just a tiny bit in excitement. Within seconds though, her hope was shattered. Tala wanted...to go with this strange man?

Hitomi seemed to visibly deflate. Her ears twitching only briefly as Vidalia mentioned not splitting up. She thought that was the better idea truthfully. The could set a pace apart from each other or something! There was no telling what that man would try if he was alone with Tala! It could just be a trap or something! He could be one of the enemies!

Hitomi reached into her pack and began to scrawl furiously before holding up a large sheet of paper for everyone to see. 'I think Vidalia is right. If we split up, there is a large risk of one group getting lost or ambushed. Two groups a few paces apart might work a bit better. Though, You keep mentioning that you aren't good at fighting and are a talentless mage. It's better if you go home them. This isn't a game. I'm fine with risking my life for people who are caught in the crossfire, but you're running ahead into danger without the ability to defend yourself. You're asking us to defend you without offering anything to help us, that's unfair. If you can promise me you can actually help us, you're welcome to stay. Otherwise, please don't put our lives, as well as yours, at risk.' She then rolled up the paper, marched forward to Tala and handed her another paper. This one read: 'I'm sorry to question you, but...I can't just be fine with this. You're asking me to leave your side and not telling me why. I'm worried Tala, and I have a right to be.' She hesitated a moment before letting out a small sigh and beginning to trudge back to her previous spot and wait for everyone's responses.

By this time, Vidalia and Hitomi had practically doubled down on Solomon and his capabilities, and surprisingly enough Tala got in front of him and waved her hands.

"Whoa, whoa, guys!" she said hastily. "This is no way to be talking to someone that's just joined our crew!"

Even with her glasses blocking her eyes, her tone shouldered the slightest bit of anger to it.

"In case you're forgetting Miss Vidalia, we literally just met you so you're as suspicious to me as he is, but I'm still willing to trust you because you sought to come out on this mission," she said firmly, her arms placed on her hips like a scolding mother. "And I didn't say this before because I was being polite, but it's very rude to say even sarcastically that the person we're trying to save is dead. I don't know about you, but that's a person, not just a grab item for cash. I happen to have a daughter and if I knew the people I hired to save her talked this way, I'd not spend any amount of denars. If you want our company on this quest, you better wise up, young lady! And Hitomi, I'm more than surprised you share this sentiment with..."

Tala had basically read Hitomi's first message towards Solomon and had been VERY surprised at her own bluntness and inconsideration. It was one thing to say you didn't trust someone. It was another to call someone useless. How many times had Tala been called useless in a fight and was told to go back home was hard to say, but these words personally hit right at home.

She was about to unleash a good old motherly scolding on the girl until Hitomi brought up another paper just for Tala. Hitomi walked away before Tala could finish the letter, and by the time she did, she let out a heavy sigh.

"Look, you two, I'm sure you mean well by looking out for our safety," she said. She then looked at Solomon. "Perhaps splitting up makes you two uneasy, that's understandable and perhaps we can stay as a team at least until the prompt of truly splitting up is needed. But mocking a person's ability to fight despite their willingness to help in any way? That's not going to get us anywhere if we're going to be a team. Mister Grey, please don't go alone. You are right that it is quite dangerous, and we'd be spending more time worrying whether you were safe than if you were right where our eyes could see us."

Tala realized that she needed to say more than that to convince Hitomi though. She walked up to the girl, and lowered her glasses. Her eyes tried to stare straight at Hitomi's from behind the mask. She'd then firmly place her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"I'm sorry I ignored your worries," she said gently. "I thought it'd be okay to split up considering the time we have and besides, it was a tactical decision. I'm not one for leaving people out just because people don't think they're strong enough. I wasn' strong enough before, but look at me now? What's important is that we're a team that gets along. I'll make up for whatever slack you think Mister Solomon has, but can we at least give him a chance? You gave me a chance back in those caves, didn't you?"

She offered a smile and turned back to Vidalia and Solomon.

"So, is everyone willing to work together for the meantime? Chances are the catacombs entrance is outside so we can check the perimeter and decide on splitting up if it's deemed to be in the interior of the manner, hm?"

Vidalia smiled when Hitomi wrote that she had agreed with her, but frowned when she suggested that they should split up.

"Aww, I hurt the mysterious man's mysterious feelings." She mocked Solomon before getting serious again.

"Wise up. In case you haven't realised, the world we're in is dangerous. You'll happen to find people like me around every corner." She told Solomon before turning back towards him.

"Ok, goodbye." Vidalia quickly waved goodbye to Solomon when he offered to go into the Catacomb's ahead of them. She had a look of not caring about his fate, which seemed to make Tala angry at her. Vidalia was surprised at the fact that Tala doesn't trust her.

"You don't trust me? I trust you. You and Hitomi are trustworthy enough for me not to shoot the both of you if you step out of line." Vidalia tried to defend herself as Tala continued to scold her and Hitomi for the way they were treating Solomon.

"I did wise up, I wised up when my parents were killed and I realised that this world is bleak and does it's best to make you join people like my parents in the afterlife. I'm sorry that your daughter got kidnapped once and the hunters said similar things to what I said to the girl, but the way we're just standing around and arguing each other is not helping your case. For all we know, not only could the girl be dead, but the group that kidnapped her are probably making their plans to leave the Catacombs by now. I'm sorry you feel that i'm being rude, after all, you have family that weren't killed in front of you, and friends that care for you!" Vidalia finished her rant to Tala as she crossed her arms and stepped forward before looking at Solomon.

"Fine, you get to stay with us, but step out of line even once and it's an arrow through your head, got it!?" She warned Solomon before looking back at the girls, quickly becoming polite again after she yelled to Solomon and Tala.

But not Hitomi because she didn't deserve it.

"I still stick by that we should stick in a group unless we're required to split up. Now is everyone ready?" And before Vidalia could have a chance for the trio to respond, she quickly spoke again.

"Yes, then let's go." She turned and walked forward towards the Catacombs.

Solomon had a rather discontented look during this whole exchange. He didn't seem to know where he was allowed to cut it, until finally he said...

"Uhm, I never said that," he stated. "I never said I couldn't defend myself."

He smiled awkwardly, tilting his head. A lot of spiteful things were said in his direction, but he didn't seem bothered and took it all in stride. In fact, he seemed to be listening carefully to everyone's criticism and thinking on it thoughtfully.

"I'm not a well-versed warrior or a high-class magus," he stated, "but I have my own way of protecting myself. As promised, there were no beasts in the way up till now, right?"

Come to think of it, it was odd that they had not encountered even one corrupted monster on the way here. Around then, a blue butterfly fluttered into view. It flapped its wings and land on Solomon's outstretched palm before dispersing into light.

"I see, I see," Solomon hummed, as if talking to someone else. "It may not be as glamorous as what the three of you are able to do, but you won't have worry about me. I can manage myself just fine."

Thinking about it, Solomon had become acquainted with everyone else's skillsets based on what they've said and carried with them, however nobody had bothered to ask what he actually does himself.

"Well, I suppose the best way is..."

Solomon started walking ahead, still dragging whatever it was he was dragging by a rope along as it continued to create a trail under the snow.

"I'll be working independently then," he stated nonchalantly. "It'll only create trouble if there's distrust in a party. I'll meet you three on the other end."

Then he stopped and went "Oh."

He turned around and pulled something from underneath his coat. It looked like a mid-sized wooden box. He lifted it towards Tala.

"Take this with you," he smiled. "It's my first-aid tools. There are ointments, bandages, alcohol, and even matches for light. I don't want any of you to get hurt, so take it with my blessing."

With that, he went off. Unlike Vidalia, he wasn't making a beeline for the front entrance though and seemed to be drifting to the far right, seemingly aiming towards something the other girls apparently didn't know about.

Well, a lot of things started happening at once. A lot of talking, a lot of anger. She had sparked something with her own anger hadn't she...It was a powder keg she'd lit and Tala seemed upset. Hitomi, wide eyed, looked between Tala and Vidalia as they argued. In fact, she almost took a step back when Tala suddenly walked up to her.

Oddly enough, she was understanding. She explained things clearly and spoke calmly. Finally, she asked Hitomi to give Solomon a chance. Hitomi's ears twitched low in shame as Tala's words hit her. She'd made such a quick decision and she didn't even know why. Sure her thoughts had made sense at the time...and Solomon didn't really help his case, but...Was she wrong? Gently, Hitomi slid her mask to the side, and quickly placed her forehead against Tala's. The woman would see a small frown on her face as she let a moment pass. "Mm.." A melancholy sound escaped her, an apology perhaps. She followed it with a small nod before she stood straight once more and slid her mask back on.

By that time, though, it seemed Solomon had decided to go his own way. Hitomi froze a moment, seeing that Vidalia also seemed to want to go HER way. Tala wanted Hitomi to give Solomon a chance...She rose Tala's hand once more and traced quickly. 'I'll go with him, and protect him the best I can. Please take care of Vidalia. She is upset and...well I can't talk her down I'm afraid. Please be safe.' She took a step back and took off her mask with a small frown. She swallowed hard, took a deep breath and placed the mask on Tala's head before turning and running off after Solomon.

All the while as Vidalia spewed her own remarks, Tala's hands clenched. She wasn't shaking with anger or showing any signs of outer aggression, but she was standing so still she might as well could have been stone.

The glasses made it even harder to read her mood, though her lips were a thin straight line pressed tightly together.

As much as Tala wanted to keep a balanced viewpoint, she genuinely couldn't see where Vidalia was coming from with her logic. They had just met. So had Solomon. What was the big deal? Solomon's disposition at this rate made Tala to be honest want to trust him more than the girl who kept antagonizing things and insisted they weren't ever going to meet or work again.

Come on, Tala...be patient. She's young, and she's just trying to make her point. Even Hitomi's suspicious of Solmon, so it's only fair to consider her own suspicions and...

Then Vidalia went on to talk about how her own family had died in front of her eyes and how none of them would know how that felt.

...

Suddenly, Tala wasn't there standing in the snow. She wasn't listening to Vidalia. Hitomi wasn't by her side and Solomon wasn't just a distance away. She wasn't even in her body.

There were no mountains or clear white skies. There were only gray clouds up ahead and a wooden platform in front. A man's body dangled, his torso covered with a white mangled shirt and his trousers worn. There was no face. It swayed and the world seemed to shake.

It was brief, but in that instance Tala felt a flare of rage she hadn't felt in a long time. Her nerves steeled and her body straightened as she looked at Vidalia who was now walking up ahead. Tala's grip on her scythe was so firm she swore she was going to dent it.


She doesn't know what she's saying... her logical side was telling her. How would she know? It's not her fault. It's not--HOW DARE SHE HAVE THE NERVE--

Tala suddenly felt Hitomi draw closer. In a moment, Tala felt like her spirit had just shot back into her body. She even felt the impact of her landing on her feet. She swayed for a moment, fortunately held still by the fact Hitomi was pressing her head against hers and seeming to accept her proposal.

Before she could even register anything, she had realized Solomon had gone in the separate direction. Hitomi was telling her to go with Vidalia while Hitomi went with...


Tala's heart sank.

While she had been the one who insisted splitting up, seeing Hitomi speed off with Solomon suddenly made her very uneasy. This wasn't the plan. This wasn't what she wanted. They didn't seem to be going off into the right direction and there was no way she could monitor them.

She had half the mind to follow them and stop them, but Vidalia was getting farther away.


For a moment, Tala's eyes darkened, but she then sighed turning towards her. It wasn't like she could leave her alone either. She prayed Fey would be enough to protect those two.

She looked in her hand, only now noticing Hitomi had given her the mask.

Tala held it close to her chest before propping it on her head, pushed to the side so that her face was still exposed.

She eventually caught up with Vidalia and matched her pace.

"Maybe wait for everyone's decision before walking, hm?"

Vidalia would notice a very eerie difference in her tone. Whereas her tone before had been high-pitched and warm, it had dropped practically an entire octave and had a steely, almost sharp quality to it. Like a knife cutting through the thick atmosphere.

It was followed by silence and then by something else.

"I'm sorry to hear about your family," she said.

"No one deserves that."

As Vidalia walked towards the front entrance, she briefly watched as Solomon, followed by Hitomi, were going another direction. She was surprised that they were still splitting up into groups but she didn't care, as long as they're finally going into the Catacomb's and that Hitomi can handle herself, since Solomon might get her into trouble.

Which meant that she was left with Tala, who's voice sounded serious unlike before, probably because of what Vidalia said. She didn't say anything about it as she walked into the Catacombs, however she did scold Vidalia for not hearing everyone's responses first.

"I would rather do the action instead of hearing everyone's input." Vidalia said as she kept walking...

And then Tala apologised, about what happened to her family. Vidalia briefly stopped, before she kept walking.

"We should... Keep going." She instructed sadly to Tala.

Sol kept walking in his odd direction, not seeming very bothered by the previous events. He hummed to himself as he trekked through the snow, whatever he was dragging behind creating a trench trailing after him.

Butterfly, butterfly,
Whence do you come?

I know not, I ask not,
Nor ever had a home.

Butterfly, butterfly,
Where do you go?

Where the sun shines,
And where the buds grow.

Solomon continued to sing some odd song to himself until he came to a stop in front of a wildly branching shrubbery whose lost its foliage after years of neglect. He gripped the dry twigs and pulled them aside, and smiled in satisfaction as he knelt down and brushed aside the snow, revealing a pair of doors affixed to the ground.

"I sent my sender ahead to scout some time ago," he explained to his reluctant companion behind him as he brushed aside the snow. "My little butterfly isn't suited for combat, and it can't tell me everything, but it's fixed to record what it can identify as three important pieces of information. This cellar here is one of them. We'll be able to operate discreetly through here."

The oddball priest gripped the metal handles and pulled, resulting in some creaking and moaning from the door.

"Mmmm, it's rather rusty and corroded," he remarked needlessly. He stood up and gestured to it to the girl. "May you do the honors?"

Despite being obviously younger and smaller, any healthy enkidu would have the strength fit to pry the cellar doors open.

As they walked on, Hitomi quickly began to realize what a mistake this had been. Without her mask her face felt cold and warm at the same time, and not the kind of warm that the mask usually provided either. It was just...uncomfortable. A burning sensation on the inside of her skin. Not to mention that said heat only got worse whenever she was looked at. With Tala it was different. She didn't like this.

"Mm!" Despite herself she reached out, trying to silence the man as he hummed to himself. She understood speaking in low whispers, but come on...It was bad enough everyone had been raising their voices earlier. She didn't want to give their enemy even CLEARER signs of where they were.

Though, in the end, it probably didn't matter much.

Her face blankly stared at the man for a moment as he mentioned discreetly opening the door and then gestured for her to do it. She very much doubted a door like that could be labeled "discreet" it was definitely going to make a ton of noise...Her own instincts told her to force him to open the door. She was TRYING to get along with him, but that didn't mean she immediately trusted him.

In the end, after a moment of pause, she let out a small sigh and moved forward. Tala had told her to try so she would try. She gripped the handle, pulled and-

Suddenly she was flat on the ground. She gave a slow blink and looked back towards the door. There, both of her prosthetics still gripped the door...For the love of...She huffed, pushing herself up, marching over to the door and sliding her blades back in their prosthetics. She twisted her arms tight until she heard a small click, then twisted a bit harder. It seems she was due for some maintenance.

Her teeth grit tightly as she pulled once more, this time bracing herself in case her prosthetics weren't up for the job. Thankfully, they held this time. She...really needed to service them after this job. That was more than a little upsetting.

Behind her glasses, Tala's eyes narrowed.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, young lady, but that's how team works...work, you know?" she said bluntly.

She sighed though and continued walking. Mentioning Vidalia's family must have struck a nerve with the girl however, as, when Tala apologized, Vidalia hesitated and moved on forward. A part of Tala was still miffed about earlier, but she was curious what happened to the girl's family. No doubt something to do with Eisleyn just being awful in general. It reminded Tala all of a sudden why they were there. This wasn't just about the money. This was about proceeding with their mission. Her and Hitomi and, to an extent, Granny Fox.

She'd pick up the pace with Vidalia and find themselves near the manor entrance. The manor itself was, as expected, grandiose but dilapidated. The paint of the walls were peeling and bricks were coming off leaving gaps in the outside.

"Catacombs aren't usually inside, so they might be behind the manor," Tala explained. "Best we go around from the outside and--"

The two would hear glass shatter on the inside.

Tala's hand instantly went to her scythe and she looked at Vidalia. She made no sound, but would gesture for Vidalia to hold for a moment.

Crouching down, Tala got up close to one of the holes in the broken windows before raising herself up to peer on the inside. It was pitch black. Her eyes scanned the little of hallway she could see, but there was nothing there. She heard no other sounds either.

Moving back, she'd go to Vidalia.

"Might have been the wind knocking something over..." she said. "Let's keep moving."

She'd start walking more, but also start striking conversation.

"So tell me about you," Tala said. "Been in this business long?"