#i'll fight for all three of us! | tart magica

[deathdanse]

Corbeau took in the girl's responses as they entered the tent, ducking her head under the cloth and holding it above her head to let Homura inside first.

The tent was larger than the common tents the footmen used. Much larger in fact, big enough to house several people if needed-- possibly a war room once? Inside sat three beds, with chests placed at the foot of each. There was also candelabras atop wooden tables, benches and other various furniture decorations.

What Homura could find interesting, was that there was another young girl standing just off to the side. Eyes empty like she was in a trance, expression blank. Doing... nothing. Just standing there, the woman doesn't even move at the sound of movement from the two entering the tent.

"Ah, Fleche dear," Corbeau addressed the woman, clapping her hands, causing the woman to look in Corbeau's direction. "Would you fetch some water for us? Our guest looks awfully parched."

The woman doesn't acknowledge the request verbally. Instead silently exiting the tent for a moment, then coming back with two wooden cups of water and a pitcher on a tray, cups are placed in front of the pair. Once done, the woman again moves to standing off to the side, but now near Homura and Corbeau incase she was needed again, pitcher at the ready.

Corbeau with drink in hand, gestures to a bench with a table in the middle for Homura to sit on as she chooses to sit on the opposite bench across the table. She herself takes a small sip of her water, pausing as she listened to the other's query.

"The date? Why it's..." Corbeau gives the date, along with their location. Homura would find that it was indeed during the hundred year war, but nothing particularly historic happens on this day. No major events she will have to worry about!

Regardless, this question confirms Corbeau's suspicions, placing the cup down and leaning forward.

"...You're.. not from around here, are you?" Corbeau's eyebrows furrow slightly. "Your clothes, your general confusion and shock-- you're a foreigner, that much is true-- but surely other countries know of what's going on here! The fact that you know nothing is incredibly strange. Especially if you are like me."

She taps the white gem in the center of her chest to illustrate what she was inferring. Corbeau felt no need to hide what she was, considering the other's circumstances, and that she was beyond a doubt not an enemy-- or at least one that she should be concerned with. Plus, the magic radiating off of the both of them was like an elephant sitting right in-between them. One would have to be a fool to not acknowledge it.

"You are lost, yes. But... I think.. it's a different kind of lost-- beyond that of simply going off the beaten path in a forest." Perhaps there was a word or term that Corbeau was looking for, but simply didn't know of the word to properly describe what she thought Homura's situation was.

The salamander comes to a quiet stop once they emerge out of that forest. Its glowing eyes stare at the war tent, but it doesn't look concerned. It tilts its head to the side before it looks back at her, almost as if waiting for her to say something. The strange creature's only expression is a seemingly permanent smile, oozing with unbridled mischief. Homura stares ahead at the war tent in absolute confusion, shoulders hunched in exhaustion from all the walking. Then she noticed that men in armor were advancing on her, clearly noticing the purple glow that emerged from the large forest.

The salamander has a quicker reaction. Instead of running back to hide in the forest, the creature swiftly creeps up her body. Homura would've instinctively tried to shoo it off her body if she wasn't still staring in shock at the armored men. They were in real chain mail, fashioned with colorful surcoats. Even their metal helms were real, she noticed. They had various weapons in their possession makes her stiffen up, but the fact that they were regular people became a thorn in her side.

There were a lot of men that noticed what must have looked like a real sorceress emerging from the forest, surrounded by an evil-looking glow. Or maybe they saw a strange threat from their enemy. Homura secretly longs to have her familiar shield in her grasp because this situation didn't look like a warm welcoming party. She can feel herself slightly missing the days where she can pause time. But her shield is gone just like all of the stolen weapons she stored in her shield. She could use her memory manipulation magic, but the problem with this idea is that she never had to use it on this many people... yet.

The salamander hugs her left ear once again, but only after it swiftly climbs up her body. Its glowing body is snuffed out, reverting back to piece of jewelry upon her ear. Homura could have sworn she heard a whisper in her left ear, but all these armored soldiers are even louder. She takes a step back cautiously, still trying to come up with some kind of plan. She thinks about retreating back into the forest, but her body refuses to move quite yet. She feels a pulse of magic from within the sea of men, almost as if it calls out to her.

Then the only female emerged, dressed in what looks like warmer clothes. She spoke loudly, cutting through the blurring of the many voices. She is commanding the men with a voice dripping with authority and poise. Homura's eyes land on the woman's chest, feeling the presence of a soul gem located on the torso area despite their distance. The female moves to get closer to her, removing their distance. Homura's body tenses up in uncomfortableness once she feels the unfamiliar touch, but the some of the stranger's words to these men catch her attention.

Benefactor? What does she mean by being blessed by their benefactor? Questions blossom in Homura's mind, relieved that she understood the stranger in the first place. She could rely on magic to break down language barriers in the same way that she could repair her eyesight. All Homura knew is that this stranger is weaving a smooth lie to ease the tension in her men. She looks young, but all of these men are following her orders.

Homura is relieved that she didn't have to fight or flee, but she didn't enjoy the prospect of walking with this stranger. Under normal circumstances, she would have behaved more confidently. But she is out of her element, still wrapped up in shock and heavy exhaustion. The sight of the old-fashioned soliders and the war tent make her mind unravel into complete dread. She didn't go back in time for merely a couple of years. No, she has fallen centauries and centauries back into the past.

But why did she fall back this far into the past while she was rewriting the universe? She didn't want to do that. Yet here she is, stumbling around in the dark without any inkling of where she is. Silence shrouds Homura like a veil, still thinking on the cloaked female's words. Her feet sluggishly shuffle forward as she chooses to follow the stranger, eyeing the tent with a bit of suspicion. She assumes that being inside this tent seems like a better deal, at least compared to being lost in a forest or surrounded by all those hostile men.

❝  I don't understand... ❞  Homura finally finds her voice again only once they were inside the private tent, preferring to be out of the earshot of those glaring soldiers. Not a trace of mockery is detected in her voice. She is being quite sincere, though she can understand this stranger's wariness. She didn't like being threatened with death, but it isn't her first time being threatened by someone.

Homura stands her ground, not cowering in fear.

❝  What do you mean about spying for the... French? ❞  Eyebrows knit together at the stranger's demands, instantly suffocated by more troublesome confusion. Were they somewhere in Europe then? It isn't Japan, that's for sure. Thank goodness she is good at English. She knew a small amount of French, but she would still struggle with the language if it weren't for her magic.

❝  I have no clue what you are talking about right now. I certainly don't know who you mean in the slightest. ❞  Homura admits after a quick survey of the tent's interior, crossing her arms slightly. She doesn't like confessing her obliviousness, but she didn't want to pretend to be on the same page. Her body cries out for rest yet she continues to stand, too focused on being alert and prepared for any possible attack. She may lack her shield's power now, but she still has the instincts of a seasoned fighter in her every bone.

She knows how to use her black bow along with her memory magic. She fought Wraiths with her new wish, after all. But what she doesn't understand is the rush of her newfound power, the same power that converted her tainted soul gem into something brand new. Something that is most likely very wrong, but it feels so right. Only she has it. She should be prideful of this development, but she is still fumbling with all of this change.

❝  All I know is that I'm very, very lost. Where are we? What's the date? ❞  Homura inquired after a couple seconds of hesitation. She wanted to ask about this mysterious benefactor or who this holy person is, that's for sure. She has so many questions brewing in her mind right now, but she needs to get her facts straight as soon as possible.

[deathdanse]

Tag Dump - Verses (will be updated with more)

[deathdanse]

An average day.. or as average as it could be, considering the circumstances. This is war, after all.

Corbeau's day would consist of her waking up bright and early with her sisters and fellow soldiers. Help her sisters get dressed then take her time slipping into her own clothes for the day, a morning briefing with the generals in the war tent-- then drills until someone finally decides to make a move against the French.

However, Lapin and Minou-- Corbeau's sisters-- had been traveling. Raiding French holdouts and taking back the territory. Normally this is where Corbeau would shine, for battle was what she was good at! But, Minou insisted she wanted a chance to stretch her legs after being cooped up in the camp for so long, and who was Corbeau to deny her sweet little sister anything?

So, this morning went quicker since she had no sisters to look after. More time to go back and forth with the generals on what plan was best-- eventually settling on pushing the camp forward after her sisters had finished reclaiming land and returned. Likely repeating the process until they were able to claim another big castle.

Sigh, they could be so infuriating. Dragging their feet like this-- they'd be a mess without Corbeau and her sister's help!

Corbeau sat by herself near one of the fires, a bowl full of gruel that she quietly ate from warming her hands and body. The soldiers either mingling around her or joining drills, she would join the drills too-- but not having a weapon did pose a problem-- so she would only watch from the sidelines, doing her own in her tent.

The sound of a commotion from the other side of the camp snapped her out of her thoughts, dropping her bowl as she sprinting to the source of yelling and weapons being drawn. Her body flashes in silver light into her magical form while she did so.

Was it a surprise attack? A wild animal that wandered it's way into the camp?

She nearly trips at the sight of a young girl, standing in the clearing of the forest that the camp was nestled beside. The clothes she wore were strange, nothing like she had seen before, but Corbeau could not deny the presence of magic that radiated from her.

Corbeau rules out the possibility that she's with the Holy Girl and her Black Beauty, she was far too bewildered-- even if it was an act. She certainly wasn't one of her maids either judging by how alert she was too.

Just... who was this girl? Corbeau just had to find out!

"Gentlemen, gentlemen please, stand down!" Corbeau boomed across the yelling soldiers, who nearly all lowered their weapons to look at her. "This young woman is with me, another one blessed by our benefactor who's come to assist us. What kind of warm welcome was that? You nearly scared her half to death!"

As she spoke, Corbeau would quickly flank Homura's side, wrapping an arm around the young girl's shoulders and began to walk with her. The soldiers were confused, some even had a brief look of disgust as they looked at Homura-- but ultimately, they took Corbeau at her word and returned to their posts.

"I see you've made a contract," Whispers in her ear, leading Homura to her tent. "Tell me everything you know, and I will not harm you. But know this-- if I discover you are a spy for the French or that damn Holy Girl and her friends-- I will kill you. Understood?"

                        @deathdanse has made a contract.          —         ★

Time magic has always been her specialty ever since she made her wish on that stormy day. She spun and spun with time, refusing to accept the fate that they were dealt. Other souls with time-based magic may have different rules, but her sand found within her shield restricts her from meddling too far into time. She can only go back a month with her shield. She will lose this shield once a new wish gives her something new in the form of a real weapon, but totally new magic. Eventually, the Isolation Field is created to allow her to become the first experimented witch.

She breaks free from the bittersweet dream, waking up in her. She should become one with the Law of Cycles to close the chapter of her long, long fight. But she had other plans when she decided to ruin everything because of her desire. Her poor soul is submerged until it becomes something brand new. The universe is at her fingertips to rewrite. With wild magic coursing through her wicked veins, she remembers overflowing with the burning urge to ruin the Incubator race for their attempt to control everything as if they were god—

Then a dizzying darkness claws at her until she is swallowed up. She awakes not in the hospital nor anywhere in Mitakihara City. No, she founds herself lying on a forest floor. Stars in the sky greet her, but the moon is not there to light her surroundings. She hears the trickling of a quiet stream nearby as only crickets chirp all around her. It doesn't take her long to realize that she is in a forest, but what confused her is how dark the forest is.

Homura slowly rises to her feet, but wobbles back to the ground with an intense nausea. At first, she thinks it might be due to whatever the Incubators have done to her in the Isolation Field. They stabbed her gem over and over until it should've shattered if they removed the thick nails, but they didn't remove their sharp tools. No, they only monitored the gruesome-looking soul. This motion-sickness that she feels isn't connected to their tampering. No, it matched the feeling she got whenever she woke up in the hospital room time after time—

Wait—

That's it. I... I must've traveled back in time. She thinks to herself, staring at the sky past all the trees as realization chills her body. She could never forget the feeling of going back in time, but what disturbed her is the surroundings. She knew her pattern like the back of her hand, but this is something she has never experienced before. Where am I?

Her new surroundings were no help at all, though she has wasted a couple of minutes looking around in growing panic. Nothing seemed to help since she couldn't see any source of civilization anywhere, especially in the dark. She looks up at the sky to study the stars, noting the endless shimmering stars. Light pollution washes away the majestic canvas of stars, did it not? Yet the sky is bejeweled with so many of them. She stares upward, panic making her question all that she knew—

Move. She had to move now. With no map to guide her, Homura searches for the ring form of her soul gem upon her left hand... But she finds nothing at all. More panic grips her until she finally notices an odd, rather warm sensation upon her ear. She touches her ear to reveal that she is wearing an earring on only one ear—

Further examination allows her to discover that her diamond-shaped gemstone is dangling from an odd earring of some sorts, though her ears are not pierced. She traces the pattern with her hand until she realizes that this new development is shaped like a small salamander with strange engravings upon its torso region. Stroking the body so much ends up bringing the object to life, much to her surprise. It falls from her ear, but still gracefully lands on the dirty ground. The moving salamander radiates a soft purple light. It looks up at her with its gemstone eyes, swaying its tail and her diamond gemstone ever so slowly.

I've never seen a moving soul gem look like this before... No, it can't be a soul gem at all. I don't know what to call it, but I guess this still all mine. Homura ponders while staring down at it, relieved that its glow is bright enough to act as a light source. Still fresh from her ascension, all the lost ravenette can do is hope to find another magical girl before her bad luck gets worse. Hearing her heart's desire, the salamander begins to confidently walk off.

❝  H-hey— Wait for me! ❞  Homura calls out to the sentient salamander in a huff, not expecting it to just leave her like that. Luckily for her weary body, the salamander is briskly walking without a care in the world. Like a lost traveler following a will-o'-the-wisp, the Devil begins to follow her the carefree thing. It doesn't look familiar to her except for the signature diamond gemstone hanging off of its long tail, but it feels right to follow it.

Either way, Homura is not prepared. Only having her school uniform to wear in this awful climate is not fun, but it could be worse. It’s a good thing she can rely on the magic she did know to make this journey easier. Her irresistible Dark Orb will lead its unsuspecting owner straight to Corbeau, perhaps some battling soldiers as well. Whether they are soldiers from England or France is anyone's guess.

[deathdanse]

Eyes widen when Homura confirms what Corbeau was attempting to convey. She should be more surprised, she supposed, but given everything she knows about magical girls and the potential wishes could hold-- The idea of time travel was certainly in the realm of possibility. Especially now that this girl has presented it as such.

"I.. I see." Corbeau sits back a little, processing this information. As shocking as it was to hear, she couldn't even begin to fathom how Homura was feeling. "You poor thing, I'm sorry this happened to you. I do not envy your situation."

Mentioning her benefactor did make Corbeau hesitate. Were Homura just a foot soldier or a peasant, she'd have no problem telling her this information. But Homura wasn't either of those things, would telling her potentially ruin things? If not for how the war's outcome would be.. then perhaps for the flow of time?

Corbeau takes her own cup and observes her reflection for a moment while she weighed her options, eventually settling for keeping things vague.

"My benefactor is.. a sponsor of sorts for the English. She has a vetted interest in how this war ends, she sent me and my sisters to turn the tide of the war for the English-- she's the one that turned us into Magical Girls." Corbeau motions to Fleche with her cup. "..And yes, that includes Fleche over there, and any other magical girl with a dazed look you'll find around here. I apologize if some of the soldiers seemed upset by this.. they find them a little... creepy, and assumed you were like them. If you want to avoid conversing with them, you're free to play along with Fleche-- but I won't force you too. They should accept you without suspicion of your origins as is."

Another drink from her cup, a larger mouthful than before. She didn't blame Homura for being hesitant about the surroundings and being offered refreshments from a complete stranger-- hell, she'd probably be the same were the roles reversed. Hopefully, showing how eager Corbeau was to drink from her cup would ease the younger girl's nerves.

"Yes, she's like us... the holy girl." Corbeau's voice trails into a growl as the words leave her mouth. "Apparently she and her friends became magical girls from a little white beast-- nothing I've ever seen before.. like something a witch would conjure for a familiar... Qube, I think they called it."

Headshake, getting off topic here.

"She's with the French, along with some other magical girls. She intends to have the Dauphin on the throne and end the war. I've heard that she has a guardian angel guiding her, she was able to tell who the prince Dauphin was without knowing what he looked like. Bunch of boring rumors to intimidate, surely."

She taps the sides of her cup as she takes a moment to think. Corbeau was a ruthless warrior and lived for the thrill of battle, but she wasn't completely heartless. Homura needed to go back to her own time, she'd have no interest in fighting alongside them-- and there was no telling what her benefactor or her sisters would do once they got their hooks into her.

"..If you'll have me, I'd be happy to assist you with your predicament." She pipes up after a moment of silence. "My sisters are currently raiding French holdouts, but they should be finished within the next few days-- if I send a message they'll be here straightaway. You could come with us and meet our benefactor-- we'll have someone make a wish on your behalf to send you back to where you should be in time. I may not understand time travel or the details that brought you here, but I don't think it's anything a wish couldn't fix."

If it was a wish that brought Homura and Corbeau together, then it's a wish to send Homura back home.

She noticed that they weren't fully alone within the tent. The sight of the expressionless woman reminded her of what the victims from witches looked like whenever they were given kisses. She looks at the young woman, but she doesn't make the habit of staring. Not that the said woman would notice, but the magical girl with the commanding presence might notice. Homura wanted to address what is afflicting the young woman, but she didn't speak up fast enough when an order is given to... Fleche.

The expressionless woman stirred to life to bring them water. Watching the scene play out with a wary silence only reminds her of how a witch commanding her familiars. How she pointed her familiars to attack long after she realized she was the witch. Did this cloaked woman have some kind of magic to command regular people in the similiar fashion as witches? Her wish would have to be tied to control. It could be possible, she figured. The armored soldiers looked up at her, though some of them looked old enough to be fathers.

❝  No, I'm not from around here in the slightest. ❞  Homura answers the shocked question with total ease, cutting straight to the chase. She finally allows herself to sit down in the chair to finally make her legs stop screaming. It wasn't a comfortable seat, but she knew she had no right to complain. She had been too determined to not lose track of the salamander in that forest to even give herself any rest. She didn't know what would happen if she lost it within the thicket of the forest, especially since it was carrying her familiar diamond-shaped gemstone.

She couldn't risk losing even more.

She already lost her grasp on time, that's for certain.

Homura's expression has darkened once she learned that she has stumbled back in the Late Middle Ages. She is a seasoned traveler through time with her shield, but... But this is far too new. It would be exciting, maybe thrilling, if she knew how to get back to everything she has left behind. She has years worth of timelines under her experience, but nothing could prepare her for this unsettling news.

She does not offer much words to help the baffled stranger since she is too busy simmering with this information. She merely watches Corbeau fumble with her natural confusion until she looks down at the cup of water. What confused Homura is the little side comment about other countries. Did Corbeau expect countries to know about magic? Or rather this different form of travel? Homura never thought to ask Kyubey about how his kind has affected history with their contracts, but now she is choosing to regret not learning about the historical side of things.

❝  Oh, right. I suppose it's a different kind of lost, yes. But I'm still lost, however. I'm glad that I could get out of that forest at least. I guess you can say that I have traveled through time itself, but it feels a lot more like traveling a ship. ❞  Homura is downplaying her situation, but she's merely doing such a thing to calm herself down. She knew the term of time travel didn't exist, so she is trying to not overwhelm this stranger even further.

❝  I would hate to ask more questions, but I feel like I have a right to know since I'm not from this time nor country. Who is this benefactor that you mentioned before? You mentioned them to your soldiers. They changed their mood towards my presence when you came up with that little cover story. ❞  Homura inquired, unable to help herself. She certainly didn't want to go back outside since some of them, the more older men, didn't look totally convinced.

She can handle them, but her tired body disliked the thought of fighting.

❝  Thank you for giving me more information on the surroundings, but... I fear I have more questions, as you can imagine. You sounded pretty serious about killing me when you thought I was close to someone called the Holy Girl. I assume you must be talking about more of our kind, but I could be wrong. I would like to know who you are talking about, especially if they are threats. Is there any reason why I should personally avoid them? ❞

Homura isn't sure if they were even remotely close to each other between this mysterious girl and her friends, but Homura still wanted to cover herself nonetheless. She hasn't touched her water yet. She observed Corbeau drink from her cup without a care. It seemed safe to drink, especially since they were poured from the same pitcher. But she is still hesitant to drink from hers. Homura allowed herself a tiny sip from the water, but she only does it to test the grounds.

The commander-like woman didn't look like the sneaky type to jump to slipping anything into the drinking water. No, she sounded like someone who would use her soldiers to subdue a possible threat. She might even possibly take pleasure in handle the threat herself, given the way she held herself together. The fact that she is leading a group of seasoned soldiers by herself spoke for itself, after all. She could only wonder what it was like to live in this already difficult time. What would she have done for weapons if she found herself born in this time era with only a useless shield?

She didn't want to imagine such a life.

Homura took a gamble with the water, but mostly because she couldn't deny that she is thirsty. Repeating the same month always took some strain out of her, but she had the luxury of recovering just fine since she always woke up in her hospital bed. Her throat and her pounding head long for her to gulp the whole cup of water, but Homura will wait. She continued to hold her cup even though she took her measly sip, finding some comfort in holding something in her hands. She will only drink more once she can confirm that she wasn't feeling anything strange. Call her overly cautious all you want, but it's how she got this far in life.