#no but humans are so devoted to colors and shinies its cute

[lokilysolbitch]

i love decorating this flesh vessel and all its accessories

[citialiin]

Mania, empty, Eros

karen sternberg’s “psychology of love 101″ meme

MANIA: Does their partner consume their thoughts? Do they ever get upset if their partner isn’t paying attention to them?

it depends !! ziggy is a busy alien. he has awards to accept, concerts to play, fans to entertain, etc. i think his life is hectic and almost some neverending whirlwind of busy, do things, party, pass out, get up, slather make up and run out the door, etc.  with how important thomas is to him, it’s only natural he’d often let his thoughts drift back to thomas, but i wouldnt say thomas “consumes” his thoughts.  more akin to just someone he looks forward to being with and misses dearly when they are away.  so thomas is on his mind quite often, but not excessively.

i think if that hypothetically happened he would be hurt/upset given his histrionics, but i dont think any situation has arisen where z was in thomas’s presence and thomas didn’t devote pretty much his full attention to z.  z is kind of difficult to ignore given his … everything … and i think thomas enjoys his somewhat loud/eccentric company as a break from the monotony of his life.  thomas gives ziggy all the attention he could ever want – always complimenting him, listening to him ramble, telling him stories about stezhoksha when he asks. and ziggy cannot excessively pry for more attention because thomas doesn’t have a cell phone or a car or anything, so they have to just enjoy their time together when they can.  

EMPTY: Can they see themselves with their partner for the rest of their life? How do they show responsibility in their relationship?

for the rest of ziggy’s life, he isn’t so sure.  he has a lifespan almost double of what a human would live.  that is a lot of time and he’s only lived 26 of those years.  for the rest of thomas’s life, most definitely.  thomas is already overdue to die/rot because his species isn’t built to withstand the test of time.  off tungeler and on dish cord there’s a thread about confronting the mortality/morality of their situation – thomas is going to die, unless thomas does some kind of … drastic things (like kill a human and take their corresponding body parts to replace his own).  the fact that z was like … very reluctantly ok with this … is indicative of his desire to see thomas live as long as possible at almost any cost given z’s significantly stronger moral compass.  i think he WANTS him to be with him for the rest of his life, but is understanding of the fact that that might not be possible.

but in the context of them separating instead of one of them dying before the other, z is not very good at monogamy. so the problem of getting “bored” with thomas isn’t really applicable. he still sees other people on the side when he feels like it; thomas is just his “partner” in the sense that they are romantic towards one another (in only a way two aliens who do not have romance as a inherent part of their past cultures can) but also are just kind of like. ur the only other fuckin alien here!! cant really NOT want to stay with you for as long as i can!! 

z does not have a very good sense of responsibility in general, but it’s getting better. he is more conscientious of the careless/cruel things he says to thomas, how he has to understand thomas’s vast differences as a product of culture/upbringing/speciation, that thomas deserves just as much agency/equality as he has even if thomas is significantly less “human passing” than he is.  in doing things like withholding his own selfish feelings to allow thomas to have his turn being taken care of or giving his own piss-poor attempts at comforting thomas when thomas needs it even if ziggy would rather have thomas take care of him, he is allowing himself to be responsible and the relationship to be more give and take rather than just. thomas gives. and zig takes.  rinse and repeat.  they had fight 2.0 as almost an inversion of their first meeting; rather than ziggy get angry at thomas and yelling at him and throwing a tantrum and only for thomas to remain calm and fix everything, he had to allow thomas to have that opportunity given thomas is usually more stoic/laconic and he had to be the one to fix stuff afterwards.  

EROS: What do they find physically attractive about their partner? How often are they physically intimate?

ehehheehheheh he thinks thomas is really cute!  he initially didn’t have any kind of attraction to thomas when they met other than intense curiosity – its because thomas is a little understated, a little more subdued.  kind of small and unassuming.  but he has a nice face! and cool eyes!  and shiny hair! i think ziggy is very aesthetically-inclined, so their contrast (zig is bright and colorful, thomas is very monochromatic and dark) makes him happy.  thomas’s nonhuman traits (the insect plating, the four eyes, the weird teeth, the jointed fingers) are especially attractive to him because they are a comforting reminder that thomas is not a human and he does not have to maintain his fake human guise around him.  they really can be themselves (or the most genuine version of himself he can construct).  the more he likes thomas personally, the more physically attractive he finds thomas.  

thomas is asexual.  so they don’t do anything very often.  but zig doesn’t mind despite his almost hypersexuality because zig sleeps with anyone that moves in the meantime.  they did the horizontal tango once, but as funny as i make that sound because hehaheha….aliens canoodling …..it was because they got in a really bad fight and came to the horrible understanding that they were enormously different from one another, more different than similar, that their similarities were wholly superficial because they were both inhuman but humans are more a middle ground between them, something something. so the physical intimacy was just a way of making up as quickly as possible and bridging this huge gap between them. to their understanding as two people who have lived in human culture specifically western culture for 1 year/four years, sex is the ultimate expression of love and devotion. like, clearly not true, but they just figured this is what they’re “supposed” to do, and so they did it.  

[oneflewovermyhouse]

To My Son, I Choose You!

Hi, my name is Adam and my son loves Pokémon.

I would say that he has been a fan for over a year now. It started out simple, Pikachu here, Bulbasaur there – no big deal, right? The characters were cute and playful. It’s not like they were influencing our lives. We could still be us. We were still a normal family. Dinner conversation still consisted of real, earthly entities and words that don’t sound like pharmaceutical products. I never thought it could get to where we are now. I never thought we would end up down this path. His initial interest has, shall we say, evolved.

Ash, grant me the accuracy

to accept the damage I cannot outspeed;

health points to change the things I can;

and the special moves to catch them all.

Step 1: We admitted we were powerless over the Pokémon universe, if that is what it is indeed called. Like I said, at the beginning, it was a game – nothing more. I would introduce and reintroduce my son to things like Star Wars, Marvel, sports, cars – anything to loosen the grip of these fictitious little bastards. Nothing.

Step 2: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. This power is time, at least that is what we are hoping for. There were times in my son’s life where he was obsessed with Sesame Street, Backyardigans, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but that all has passed. Hell, at one point, he couldn’t get enough Caillou, but I must admit if, in some alternate dimension, Caillou were to ever battle a Pokémon, I would want said Pokémon to blast that whiny little brat into submission. Anyway, our hopes are that this too shall pass, and our collective sanity will be restored.

Step 3: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of Pokémon as we understood it. Nope.

Step 4: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. I have tried and tried to empathize with my son, but to no avail. I think to myself, “Surely, I was a fan of something that was just as excruciatingly annoying as Pokémon when I was a kid, right?” No. No, I was not. Do you know how I know this? Because there is nothing as painful as Pokémon, except maybe Caillou, but he wasn’t around when I was a kid so I am in the clear.

Step 5: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. I don’t know when it happened specifically. Maybe it was one Saturday in Target, and he looked over at the shiny display and was immediately hooked. I should have been more cognizant, more aware. If this was the case, I should have shielded his eyes from the small reflective packages. Was there someone he befriended at which point I should have interceded? Where did the influence come from, and why was I so blind to not see it. I may well have brought this upon myself out of pure ignorance.

Step 6: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of themed-toy choices. I wish I could say that I have not prayed about this. I mean, it’s ridiculous. Why am I praying to have my son move on from Pokémon? I am asking God to remove something from our lives that my son truly enjoys. Does this make me a bad person? This is something I wrestle with every time he utters some nonsensical word that he thinks has meaning to me, but it just doesn’t. “No, buddy, I have no idea what a Squirtle is. I will tell you it sounds disgusting and potentially inappropriate, but that is as far as I’ll go.”

Step 7: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. This is at least two-fold, at least. For brevity’s sake, we will stick with two. My shortcomings are the lack of patience and understanding that I am willing to devote to Pokémon. I dismissed it as soon as it was brought up. “Dad, have you heard of Pokémon?” This was both the alpha and the omega of my interest in the world of Pokémon. And, for that, I wish I could say I am sorry. My son’s shortcoming is the second to address, and it is this – he likes Pokémon.

Step 8: Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. This is something, I believe, my son will get to one day. It may not be anytime soon, but he will come to the realization of the torment he has put his family through. If he does not, I will insist upon it. For all of the times when a conversation has been derailed by him detailing the strengths and weaknesses of Ghost Pokémon compared with Fire Pokémon, he owes us an apology. Then there are the times when he randomly asks if I know the evolutions of Snorlax or Charmander or Jigglypuff. “Nope, I sure as hell don’t. In fact, I have no idea if those are even words. Now, go get the soap so we can wash your mouth out. (on the inside)” On the outside – “Sure don’t buddy. Now run along and play.” And, then I weep inconsolably as he walks off.

Step 9: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Luckily, there have been no injuries to report. Do you want to know why? Because none of this actually exists, and if it did, these little cowards only use powers to battle. They never even make physical contact with each other. Punks.

Step 10: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. I think I am reading into this one wrong because all I see is the word “inventory” which only reminds me of the money that has been spent on books, video games, pajamas, and an anthology of iridescent cards that he never looks at. So, in essence, it is the personal inventory itself that is wrong. All of it. At one point, he asked Santa for a very specific game that required Santa to jump through many hoops to acquire only to state two days later that it was boring and too much like his other game. Really? Maybe that is because it is the same title of the game you have save one word.

Step 11: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. I really do feel that Pokémon and my son’s subsequent obsession has brought me closer to God. I pray more, and it is not your usual run-of-the-mill generic praying. I mean this is some targeted, very specific prayer. Each time my son skips past Pokémon when looking at Netflix, I know a little prayer has been heard and answered, and in turn, my faith strengthened.

Step 12: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to other parents that are held hostage by Pokémon, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. I really do think that the only way we get through this is together. A support group for parents of Pokémon addicts can only prove useful - a place where we can lean on each other for hope in the face of adversity.

Obviously, this is in jest. Yes, my son is obsessed with Pokémon. No, I don’t understand a damn thing about it. This isn’t the first time this disconnected scenario has played out, and it will definitely not be the last. So, when he looks at me, and asks me something about some poorly animated, colorful mutant that is forever held captive in a ball that is a fraction of its size by a person that can only be described as a glorified cock fighter, I will try my damndest to at least seem interested, because that’s what dads do.

[matarabarian]

I realized I haven’t posted much about any story other than the first two chapters of Throne of the Abyss and I’ve already talked a lot about Vica so I figured I’d post the first scene he appears in.

A few notes on the plot so far so no one gets lost:

Ruuno is the protagonist who works with the Lumen Dias Knighthood(LDK)

Anima are an antagonistic species

Izera was an anima overlord who was sealed in a necklace years ago

Izera is going to break out so Ruuno and a group of select knights are going to destroy the necklace he is sealed in.

In short, it sounds like a totally cliche story, but that’s the point, because I like to take cliches and spit on them. It’s kinda a sadistic pleasure So trust me when I say this story has a twist at the end. Anyway, enjoy! Please?

But as he looked off into the trees, a flicker of violet caught his eye. He stopped his horse, pulling back on the reins as he stared into the trees. A pair of purple eyes met his own and Ruuno's heart stopped in his chest. Looking a little closer, he saw the form of a man, dressed in a fashion similar to a noble, with a pitch black coat over a pale daisy yellow buttoned up coat with ebony buttons and a white jabot collar. He appeared to have dark gray, almost black, hair, but looked very young, maybe a year older than Ruuno himself. But the bright purple eyes told him this person wasn't even remotely human. The man—no, anima—cocked his head to the side, his eyes never leaving Ruuno's. His eyes shifted in color from purple to a bright blue and he winked. Ruuno's jaw dropped a little and the anima waved at him, smiling.

“Hey, what's the holdup, little blond riding hood?” Tiara called.

“That,” Ruuno replied, pointing to the anima with his arm trembling. “That is the holdup.”

The group followed his finger and a second later, a sword surrounded by a glowing purple light thrust through the air and almost impaled Guryon if he hadn't unsheathed his sword and blocked it at the very last second. The sword recovered from the block and went on the offensive. As if controlled by an invisible swordsman, it swooped around, thrusting and slashing at Guryon, but a few seconds later it retreated, floating next to the anima, who stepped out of the shadowy woods, along with several other blades and other weapons. The entire party dismounted, preparing for battle.

The anima held his hand up and waved at the group, although it was a bit more sarcastically than how he waved to Ruuno. “Why, hello there, noble knights! Care for a cup of tea? We can sit around, gossip, and eat biscuits around a table!” his voice was melodious, but possessed a distinct eerie tone to it because of how unhinged it sounded. His eyes had turned a reddish-purple in color and he seemed to be on the verge of giggling like a schoolgirl. “Hahaha, no. No, no, no, nono!” He sang the last part and burst out into gleeful laughter.

“Oh, shit,” Aegeus muttered.

“What?” Helen asked.

“I think know which anima this is, and it's not good,” Aegeus muttered.

Ruuno racked his brain from his anima studies class, trying to run through the names and descriptions of all the infamous anima before his internal monologue became something like claws on blackboards. His eyes went wide and he could hear his heart pounding in his throat. “Vica,” Ruuno whispered, wondering why the powers that be hated him so much. This got a reaction from everyone, even Fulbright. Apprehension graced their faces and fear slipped through some of the brave facades they had attempted to put up when they heard Vica's name.

Vica had been Izera's right-hand man back in the Spectral War. Izera trusted him above all others and Vica in return was devoted to Izera on an obsessive level. Ever since Izera fell, Vica had been a near-constant threat to the LDK but had been abandoned as an active target because almost every knight who faced him was killed. The ones who didn't either ran or Vica just kept them alive to mock them. That wasn't to say Vica didn't still go after the LDK on a regular basis. Vica was able to store and summon weapons from his aura and control them with deadly accuracy, making him one of the more lethal anima out there. There was even one recorded case where an entire regiment was sent to fight him, and were all killed. What was the icing on this doom cake? He was bloody insane even by anima standards.

Vica laughed and clapped his hands together as Ruuno said his name. “Bingo! Glad you all still remember me!” He brought one hand up and started waving it distractedly as he rambled. “I mean, I don't forget about the LDK, ever, although I don't know all of the names of it's members, but I do remember most of you because you're all, I don't know, complete scumbags?” Vica said this as a question, but it was clear there was no ambiguity about it in his mind. He giggled and pointed at them one by one as he named them. “Colonel Aegeus Euclid, Captain Fulbright Behnam, Sergeant Helen Manius, Major Guryon Haluk, Lieutenant Tiara Dobroslav, and a cute John Doe.”

Ruuno's mind drew a blank for a few seconds. “What?”

Vica smiled, the innocent smile jarringly out of place on an anima's face. “Don't worry, cute in a non-romantic, purely aesthetic way. Although, I would like to know your name. It would be really unfortunate if I had to go run around and burn and ransack LDK bases to find your file with your name.”

Ruuno gripped the hilt of his sword and pulled it out of its scabbard. “Ruuno. Corporal Ruuno Lykke,” he growled out.

Vica rocked back and forth on his feet as his eyes turned a blue-violet. “Ruuno. Rune no. Rune-o. That's a pretty name. Not like Fulbright or Guryon. The title doesn't sound nice with it, though. It's cacophonous. Ooh, that's a word some of you might have to look up in a dictionary! And Lykke. Like Lykke. Pretty.” Vica seemed to muse over this for a few seconds, like it was a riddle or something important, then smiled again and was in front of Ruuno in a second.

Ruuno's eyes widened and his hands holding his sword shook, having barely seen Vica move. He had never been this close to an anima, especially not one who Izera himself relied on. He tried to swing his sword, maybe chop Vica's head off, but his muscles just couldn't move. Vica reached over and tapped Ruuno on the nose. “Bop-boop!”

“W- what?” Ruuno stuttered, shocked that he both let an anima touch him and that said anima didn't even hurt him.

Vica beamed. “You are too cute to be a member of the LDK. Why don't you hop off that horse and let me give you a safe place to stay?”

That snapped Ruuno out of it. He slashed at Vica with his blade, who nimbly danced back. “I'll never join you, or Izera, or any of you monsters!”

“Aw, that's a shame,” Vica whined. “But don't worry!” He winked. “I don't give up, so how about I kill alllllll your little friends, and then you come with me because I won't leave you another choice?”

Ruuno gritted his teeth. “I would rather die.”

“Not an option,” Vica said, winking again. He reached over and patted Ruuno's head, one of his swords parrying the blond's attempt at stabbing him again. Vica turned back to the rest of the group. “As for you, I don't like you. You've killed a lot of anima, especially you, Captain Shiny! I think I want to hurt you, very badly.” Vica paused and thought for a second. “Yep, definitely want to hurt you. Oh, and you are trying to kill Izera! I really hate you for that!”

Aegeus' eyes widened. “How do you know that? That information was-”

“Classified?” Vica asked. He smiled and glanced up and to the right. “That's a funny word. Classified. Class, if, I, and Ed. Classes are where knowledge is dispersed, if means possibly, I means me, and I don't know who Ed is, but I don't think he has anything to do with restricting information either. Huh, weird word.”

“Hey! Looney bin!” Helen snapped. “Where did you learn about that?”

Vica played with a small white flower he had gotten from somewhere, smiling at it. “Oh, you know, I have friends. Some of which may or may not be in your organization.”

“We have a mole?” Guryon cried. “Oh, this day just sucks more and more.”

“He could be lying,” Tiara reasoned.

“He knew about our mission, he couldn't have found out without inside information,” Aegeus growled. “We can worry about the mole later, we have to deal with Vica now.”

Vica grinned maliciously, more swords and daggers appearing around him along with a few axes, a mace, and a club. “I won't let you hurt Izera, so I'll have to kill you.”

“Fat chance, psycho,” Guryon growled and lunged at him. Vica dodged then sent three swords directly at his head that Guryon barely managed to block. Ruuno thrust his sword directly at Vica's chest, wanting to tear the anima's heart out but Vica parried the blow happily then knocked him back with the club.

“Sorry, Ruuno!” Vica sang. “But I can't have you getting in the way of the fight! Don't worry, I'll pay attention to you later.”

“Wow, that borderlines on creepy,” Tiara commented.

“Borderlines?” Ruuno demanded. “Just borderlines?”

“Oh, hush up, I need to deck the cuckoo anima,” Tiara said, grinning confidently, but there was a quiver in her lip. Like a ninja, she dodged around Vica's blades and delivered a vicious roundhouse kick that Vica somehow blacked with his forearms, smacking her leg off to the side. He grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her to the ground blocking another kick in the process, this one with a sword which left a deep cut in her leg. She fell on her back and Vica stood over her, fighting everyone else off with his army of blades.

“Aw, you don't think you're the only one who knows martial arts, do you?” Vica smirked and held one of his swords above her body. “So sweet, but so futile. Bye-bye!” With that he thrust the sword down but at the last second, it was knocked to the side. Vica frowned and his eyebrows rose, looking both surprised and annoyed at the same time. Tiara glanced up and saw a familiar pair of green eyes mixed with blond hair and smiled in relief.

“Leave her alone!” Ruuno shouted.

Vica crossed his arms and looked like a petulant child. “Ruuno, please stay out of the way. It's distracting to fight and have to worry about you being in the middle of it. What if I hit you?”

“And he's just doing this because he thinks you're cute?” Guryon asked while trying to avoid being hit by a pack of daggers. “Jeez, how far gone is he?”

“Vica's obsession gives us an advantage so I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth!” Aegeus yelled as he dodged a golden sword, trying to knock it out of the air. “Ruuno, try to get in and stab him! Vica doesn't want to hurt you for now and we might as well use that!”

“Oh, you want to use my love for Ruuno against me?” Vica cooed, frowning at them. “That’s so cruel.”

“Says the anima who gets off on murder,” Ruuno said scornfully.

Vica sighed, twirling a strand of hair around his finger, looking bored. “It's amazing how you could twist a story around so much. If a normal man started screaming bunnies want to kill all of humanity, people write him off as a crackpot. If he starts acting on his beliefs, people call him insane. When a knight started screaming the same thing, somehow people paid him attention. When he started acting on it, they joined in.”

Guryon gave him an incredulous look. “Did you just relate murdering, bloodlusting lunatics to bunnies?”

“No, I related them to knights,” Vica replied.

Ruuno could not believe Vica had just said that and neither could any of the others. Ruuno’s hands clenched into fists and he started to tremble in rage at Vica’s callous brush-aside of all the harm anima had caused and his scorn at those who only wanted to protect people. “You son of a….”

“Before you finish that, know that my mother was actually an anima who could morph into a dog and speak to canines, so it wouldn’t actually offend me,” Vica said with a smile. Ruuno felt his anger boil over as he lunged at Vica, his sword slashing faster than the human eye could see. Vica looked ever so slightly surprised as he repeatedly blocked Ruuno’s strikes with five different swords. “Wow, you’re really good when you get angry. Maybe we can train sometime? I could show you some moves, if you want.” Vica winked at him again before blasting him to the side with a purple light. “But for now, just sit over there and watch me turn your friends into shish-kebabs like a good boy.”

Ruuno winced as he got up, every muscle in his body protesting. “I won’t let you hurt them, I won’t let them fight you on their own.”

“Famous last words of the meat shield, everyone,” Fulbright muttered.

Vica’s smile faded from his lips and his eyes turned pure red. “Excuse me, Ruuno. I need to take care of someone.” In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Fulbright and lifted him up by the collar. “I don’t like people who diss their own allies and comrades. It’s wrong and it’s mean. People like that don’t deserve to have their comrades watching their back, and if any of you get in my way except for Ruuno, I will kill you as well, extra bloodily.”

“Get the hell away from him!” Guryon roared, charging forward and stabbing at Vica with his sword, which Vica blocked as usual with one of his many swords, but Guryon didn’t stop.

Vica glanced over at him for a second and narrowed his eyes. “So be it.” Eight swords surrounded Guryon and attacked ruthlessly, with the brown-haired man barely hanging on.

Ruuno breathed heavily and he limped over to the fight. He couldn’t let Fulbright or Guryon die. His arm feeling dead, he started to throw his own strikes, weak as they were. Vica gritted his teeth and looked honestly annoyed as he blocked Guryon’s and Ruuno’s attacks, as if he was straining himself. Ruuno focused on a drop of sweat trickling down from Vica’s forehead and saw Vica’s constant focus for blocking so many strikes so close to his body was taking its toll on him. Ruuno took a deep breath and yelled, “Guys! Attack him so he has to block you! It’s harder for him to block

Aegeus, Tiara, and Helen looked at Ruuno in bewilderment, then saw Vica’s face. Aegeus met Ruuno’s eyes and nodded solemnly, then ordered, “Everyone, attack now!” Tiara pulled out a knife and started slashing the blades themselves and trying to hit Vica when she had the chance to force him into blocking and Helen threw fireball after fireball at him with his swords barely able to absorb the blows. Aegeus took up the role of defending the others when Vica tried to counterattack.

Ruuno’s hopes lifted up as he saw Vica struggle to stay on top of everything, the anima’s eyes darting around like a trapped animal before his lips drew back in a vicious snarl. He threw down Fulbright and curled his hands into fists that began to glow with a purple light as he shook in rage. “You’re all meanies!” Vica screamed, a flash of purple energy throwing everyone back. Ruuno slammed into a tree and felt a new wave of pain wrack his body and a quick glance at the others’ faces showed him the fear that had crept into his body wasn’t just him. Vica stood up straight and moved his angry, unstable glare from Guryon to Tiara to Fulbright to Helen and finally to Aegeus. “I will hurt you,” Vica seethed. “You’re meanies! You people hurt Izera two hundred years ago and you’re trying to hurt him again! No, you’re trying to kill him! I’ll never let you kill him! If Izera’s going to be strong enough for his seal to break soon, that means he’ll come back! I want him back! I need him back!”

“Yeah, to wipe out humanity,” Tiara snapped.

“No! I just want him back!” Vica cried, shaking his head and stamping his feet like he was throwing a temper tantrum, tears falling from his eyes. “I want my Izera back! You won’t prevent him from coming back!” He suddenly laughed, the merriment sounding unhinged and twisted. “You will never win! Izera will be back! Izera will live through this, and in three months, I’ll see him again! Izzie will return! Izzie, Izzie, Izzie, Izzie!” Vica started to giggle and he suddenly seemed a lot more dangerous than he had a few minutes ago. “I miss Izzie, and if I kill you, Izera won’t be in any danger.” Vica glanced over at Ruuno, madness glinting in his eyes. “Oh, Ruuno! I hurt you! I’m so sorry! But you seem to want to put your faith with these people, so I guess I’ll have to cause you pain before things get better. But I’m not giving up, I’ll make you reject them and everything they stand for! You’ll be mine in the end!”

Aegeus scrambled to his feet and sheathed his sword, looking panicked. “Retreat! Retreat now!” he cried, then mounted his very spooked horse and rode off a gallop. No one disagreed in the face of a livid anima who was five seconds away from murdering everyone minus a certain blond and as if a hive mind, the other five got on their horses and rode off at lightning speed in a pack formation.

“Oh, you’re running now?” Vica yelled behind them. “Well, the LDK has always been a bunch of cowards. But don’t think I won’t follow! Izera will return!” Vica’s voice dissolved into chilling, maniacal laughter that echoed in Ruuno’s ears as he urged his horse to go faster.