#haeli aukrova

[simple-study-of-story]

“You wanna know something I've noticed about you?” Haeli leaned against the bars of Austra's cell. “You don't have much of a sense of self-preservation. Can you tell me why that is?” Austra was silent. “Do you even know why that is?” Haeli stared at her. “Come on, I'm trying to have a conversation with you.”

She glanced up at her and moved to a corner between the wall and bars, leaning back and closing her eyes. Haeli moved closer to her, sitting down as she heard Austra mumble something. “What was that?”

“… Your voice is loud.”

Haeli chuckled. “What, you want me to whisper?”

She shook her head slightly. “Am I safe here?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Austra didn’t respond for a while. “What happened to… to him?”

“Who?”

“The one who… the one leading the charge.”

“Uh… painfully golden full face mask of the sun?” Austra nodded slightly. “You’ll be happy to hear that we lost him; we weren’t able to capture him, so we expect your rescue within the coming days.”

She shook her head. “No. No… rescue.”

“A lot of people say they won’t be rescued, they’re too unimportant or whatever, but that’s almost always false.”

“No. I mean…” She glanced up at her, then back down, sighing. “Don't let them. Please…”

“What?”

“Don't let them take me back.”

Haeli was silent. She turned to get a better look at Austra. Her short blue hair was mixed with dirt and maybe some flakes of dried blood; it was hard to tell at the distance she was at. She tried hiding it, but Haeli could tell her hands were shaking, her whole body was shaking. It was hard to tell if she was scared or anxious because of the current situation or from a possible future scene. Her hands and arms were covered in faded scars, like shadows on her tanned skin. The veins under her skin stuck out as well, forming a spiderweb-like road map from her elbow to her fingertips. Her eyes seemed distant and blank, dully looking at the opposite corner of the room, and her face looked frail, her cheeks sunken.

Must be some sort of drug. If she were addicted, shouldn't she been trying to fight her way back to them? Haeli thought, then she shook her head. There's more I need to know before making assumptions, but she doesn't look to be in a talking mood. Surely no harm in trying though, right? “Your real name isn't Austra, is it?”

Austra hesitated. “N… no…”

“Can you tell me what your real name is?”

“… Can you tell me your real name?”

Haeli thought for a second. “Good point. How about this: we prevent your rescue - that is what you want, right? - and I tell you my name in exchange for yours. Does that seem fair?”

Austra was silent. Haeli could tell that she was confused. After all, she had offered her two gifts - her protection and Haeli's identity - for the price and exchange of her identity; she didn't even suggest that Austra tell her what other knowledge she knew about the Syndicate and their alliance with Scria. It was a very risky gamble.

“… You promise to stop them from rescuing me…?”

“Mhm.”

“Simply in exchange for my name?”

“Yep.”

Austra looked at her closely. Haeli could feel her eyes studying her. “Swear to Vier.”

Haeli hesitated and chose her words carefully: “On Vier's name and domain, I swear… to… keep you… safe… and away… from rescuers from Scria, including but not limited to the Burning Sun Syndicate, in exchange for your name.”

Haeli saw Austra's shoulder relax slightly. “May Vier hear those words and uphold you to your promise,” Haeli heard her sigh. She could hear the tension in her voice almost melt completely. Almost. A risky gamble, she reminded herself.

“So, your name?”

“Nova.” It sounded like it was the first time she felt her true name on her lips. “My name is Nova.”

“Very pretty name, Nova.” Haeli's voice softened with a smile. She could tell Nova rested all her hopes on the oath. “I'm curious to know how much you know about me before i reveal my identity.”

Nova thought for a bit, then responded, “With your mask on, you are Rose Gold, leader of The Roses of Adelphie.”

Haeli hummed in agreement. “Anything else you know?”

“Yes.” Nova paused. “I do believe I should hold you to your deal first.”

“Tell you my name first?” Nova nodded. “Hm… you did tell me yours first…” Haeli removed her mask and extended her hand through the bars. “Nice to meet you, Nova. My name is Haeli.”

[simple-study-of-story]

<tw: mention of bl00d and g0re>

Nova was terrified. She just hoped it didn't show too much. “You removed your mask,” Nova said, forgetting the handshake formality.

“It's only fair that you connect the right name to the right face. Now don't leave me hanging,” Haeli said, gesturing to her hand. Nova shook it slowly. “So… I was asking about your sense of self-preservation when I first came here.”

“My what?”

“Like your survival instincts.”

“What about them?”

Haeli gave her a look, to which Nova curled back, silent. She couldn't risk losing her protection. Haeli seemed to notice. Her gaze softened and she sighed. “You threw yourself in front of one of your comrades without hesitation and got yourself stabbed in the guts. Then, the pain must have shocked your body so bad you released a massive shockwave of electricity, further damaging your body. It's what kept us from pursuing your leader's charge as they retreated.”

A flash of pain went through Nova as she tried to stand, making her wince and sit back down. Ignoring Haeli's concerned expression, she carefully lifted her shirt to see her injuries. “We wrapped it up for you to help the healing process since our healers couldn't work on it for some reason and it doesn't seem like fae healing was a skill you learned.”

“Learned?” Nova looked up from the bloody bandages wrapped around her. “You must be born with healing.”

Haeli paused. “Who told you that?”

“My fa-” Nova paused, hesitating before finishing, “my father told me…”

“… Your father lied,” Haeli said. “No one is born with healing abilities, they learn in schools and specific classes, or their parents or siblings teach them or something.” Nova didn't let herself respond, prompting Haeli to ask, “Who's your father?”

“Ah… you… you probably don't know him, my… my family isn't… well-known…” Lying was never her strong suit, but she hoped that this would be enough to deter follow-up questions. If not…

Nova swallowed in fear. Haeli looked at her closely. “Do you like to draw, Nova?”

Nova blinked. “What?”

“Do you like to draw?” Nova looked at her, confused. “Just… answer the question. Do you like to draw, do you like music, the arts…”

“I… I like to… to doodle…?”

“What do you like to doodle?”

“Um… sometimes I draw flowers… like sunflowers? And…” Nova slowly paused.

“And? What else do you like to draw?” Nova slowly shook her head. The less known about her, the better, right? “You got really shy and quiet all of a sudden, huh? Do you draw… less… palatable scenes?” Nova looked at her, oblivious to what Haeli was referencing. Haeli sighed. “You don't do well with vague references to things, do you?” Nova didn't respond; she didn't understand the question, nor did she want to ask for clarification, since she didn’t feel that the information was important. At her silence, Haeli said, “I'm asking you if you draw porn.”

“… What's that?”

Haeli stared at her. “You're kidding me right?”

Nova wanted to tell her off. She wanted to tell her, “No, I don't know what that is. I draw flowers dripping with the blood of the fallen, I draw unmarked gravestones with every person I kill. I draw battle strategies with my father, and if my plan fails, he'll leave me to die.” Like what he did with this mission. Nova looked away from Haeli, opting for silence.

Haeli sighed. She reached up to tap something against her ear - an earpiece, Nova figured; there was no way the leader of such a powerful group would come down to a dangerous enemy like her without anyone listening in or watching There was probably a hidden camera or spell of sorts to keep an eye on her. She must be being watched right now. Haeli looked back at Nova. “I’m going to get someone to get you some food. Will you be alright on your own?”

Nova didn’t respond. She kept her head down, hoping that Haeli would just leave since she wasn’t giving any information. She closed her eyes and heard Haeli’s leaving steps echo down the hall. When she looked up, the cell looked much darker than it had been in Haeli’s presence. The shadows in the corners of her cells grew, making her curl up more.

Nova looked at the turmoil around her. She hadn’t expected the Rose members to be this powerful. Her father, the Sun-Blessed leader of the Syndicate as a whole, was behind her, fighting off their flower-marked enemies as their other comrades fell. She called a retreat, making the mistake of locking eyes through her father’s Sun-Blessed mask. His dark purple eyes held endless pools of anger, waiting to unleash a flood upon her when they reached the safety of their nearest base.

Future issue, she reminded herself, breaking eye contact and looking at the battlefield. Slowly, her people retreated, her Sun-Blessed father leading them to safety. The Roses moved to pursue, one of the members gaining on Nova's comrade. Without thinking, she teleported herself between them as the Rose member thrust forward with their spear.

The weapon went straight through her abdomen. Nova gasped and coughed as her enemy ripped the spear out. She fell to the ground, clutching her wound. Pain spread throughout her body, consuming her like a fire. The blood on her hands was warm. She could barely see. Everything started to burn. Her skin prickled with rising goosebumps. The air crackled around her, and she let out a scream.

Electricity arched out from her body. The sky darkened as her lightning targeted the Rose members, scaring them back as the Syndicate retreated, leaving her behind with her light show. The only thing Nova could feel was the scorching white hot burn of her power rushing through her against her will. Through her blurred eyesight, she could see a figure and the shape of a gun. Then everything went black.

“You wanna know something I've noticed about you?” Haeli leaned against the bars of Austra's cell. “You don't have much of a sense of self-preservation. Can you tell me why that is?” Austra was silent. “Do you even know why that is?” Haeli stared at her. “Come on, I'm trying to have a conversation with you.”

She glanced up at her and moved to a corner between the wall and bars, leaning back and closing her eyes. Haeli moved closer to her, sitting down as she heard Austra mumble something. “What was that?”

“… Your voice is loud.”

Haeli chuckled. “What, you want me to whisper?”

She shook her head slightly. “Am I safe here?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Austra didn’t respond for a while. “What happened to… to him?”

“Who?”

“The one who… the one leading the charge.”

“Uh… painfully golden full face mask of the sun?” Austra nodded slightly. “You’ll be happy to hear that we lost him; we weren’t able to capture him, so we expect your rescue within the coming days.”

She shook her head. “No. No… rescue.”

“A lot of people say they won’t be rescued, they’re too unimportant or whatever, but that’s almost always false.”

“No. I mean…” She glanced up at her, then back down, sighing. “Don't let them. Please…”

“What?”

“Don't let them take me back.”

Haeli was silent. She turned to get a better look at Austra. Her short blue hair was mixed with dirt and maybe some flakes of dried blood; it was hard to tell at the distance she was at. She tried hiding it, but Haeli could tell her hands were shaking, her whole body was shaking. It was hard to tell if she was scared or anxious because of the current situation or from a possible future scene. Her hands and arms were covered in faded scars, like shadows on her tanned skin. The veins under her skin stuck out as well, forming a spiderweb-like road map from her elbow to her fingertips. Her eyes seemed distant and blank, dully looking at the opposite corner of the room, and her face looked frail, her cheeks sunken.

Must be some sort of drug. If she were addicted, shouldn't she been trying to fight her way back to them? Haeli thought, then she shook her head. There's more I need to know before making assumptions, but she doesn't look to be in a talking mood. Surely no harm in trying though, right? “Your real name isn't Austra, is it?”

Austra hesitated. “N… no…”

“Can you tell me what your real name is?”

“… Can you tell me your real name?”

Haeli thought for a second. “Good point. How about this: we prevent your rescue - that is what you want, right? - and I tell you my name in exchange for yours. Does that seem fair?”

Austra was silent. Haeli could tell that she was confused. After all, she had offered her two gifts - her protection and Haeli's identity - for the price and exchange of her identity; she didn't even suggest that Austra tell her what other knowledge she knew about the Syndicate and their alliance with Scria. It was a very risky gamble.

“… You promise to stop them from rescuing me…?”

“Mhm.”

“Simply in exchange for my name?”

“Yep.”

Austra looked at her closely. Haeli could feel her eyes studying her. “Swear to Vier.”

Haeli hesitated and chose her words carefully: “On Vier's name and domain, I swear… to… keep you… safe… and away… from rescuers from Scria, including but not limited to the Burning Sun Syndicate, in exchange for your name.”

Haeli saw Austra's shoulder relax slightly. “May Vier hear those words and uphold you to your promise,” Haeli heard her sigh. She could hear the tension in her voice almost melt completely. Almost. A risky gamble, she reminded herself.

“So, your name?”

“Nova.” It sounded like it was the first time she felt her true name on her lips. “My name is Nova.”

“Very pretty name, Nova.” Haeli's voice softened with a smile. She could tell Nova rested all her hopes on the oath. “I'm curious to know how much you know about me before i reveal my identity.”

Nova thought for a bit, then responded, “With your mask on, you are Rose Gold, leader of The Roses of Adelphie.”

Haeli hummed in agreement. “Anything else you know?”

“Yes.” Nova paused. “I do believe I should hold you to your deal first.”

“Tell you my name first?” Nova nodded. “Hm… you did tell me yours first…” Haeli removed her mask and extended her hand through the bars. “Nice to meet you, Nova. My name is Haeli.”