hello, new world

「 ⚕  ❝ You think so? ❞  

Her fingers shyly fiddled together. She hadn’t even tried the french braid, and it seemed like she was already being complimented. A little embarrassing, but nice.

❝ Would you like to braid it for me? ❞  」

“I know so! Your hair’s so silky and soft... what kind of person would I be if I didn’t think so!” Mileena can’t help, but smile widely. Cheria really must take care of herself! Not that she didn’t look cute with her pigtails already, but a new look would really do her some good!

“Miss Mileena,” Richard nodded once committing the name to memory. “It is a pleasure to meet you, and I’m again quite sorry for causing you so much trouble.” A pause and the young king chuckles. “Forgive me, it would seem I’ve lost my manners as well as your list. I’m Richard,” he offers a hand in greeting.

“I would hate to trouble you over the matter, but I would certainly appreciate any information you might be able to share.” If she a traveller then it stood to reason she able to handle the dangers of the road, but even so he did not wish to put her in harm’s way, especially if these were more of his and Lambda’s spawn. Enough people had already been hurt because of them. 

“I’m afraid I do not know terribly much, they are only rumours but I cannot simply ignore them. If it were the usual nova monsters causing trouble I could not imagine why they not be properly reported to the knights.” No, he imagined if there any foundation to these rumours the monsters must be some other breed and that in and of itself was alarming. “I suspect the monsters in question unlike any those here have seen before, and it sounds as though they quite dangerous.” 

“Did you come from the north perchance? The information is mixed but most of the rumours say that these strange monsters dwell within the Orlen Woods. If you’ve seen anything unusual in your travels, it would be most helpful.”  

“Aw, don’t worry about it. We all can’t be on top of everything.” Unless you were Ix and that making sure you had a list of everything, she supposed. Not that Mileena minded at all, it’s endearing in fact. At his offered hand, though, she smiled and took his gloved one in her own making sure to give him a firm shake in return.

“Mr. Richard then!” If they’re being formal, it’s only natural she should return the gesture. Mileena can only shake her head at his words while brushing them off with a smile. Nova monsters is a new term to her, though, it must be something connected to this world the continent was born from. If only Sophie were here... though she might not be able to explain quite as much. Cheria or Asbel’s help really would be invaluable... but that’s why she has Richard’s help at least.

If the knights were reporting that, it definitely was cause for her to believe it might be the Shimmeras running amok. How much she should divulge would probably be dependent on that... it wasn’t like Richard was giving her any bad vibes, but it would be awful if he got hurt trying to help.

“Ah, I actually came from the south.” Mileena cupped her cheek in thought, “But I’ve seen lots of weird critters especially with how crazy things have been lately. I wouldn’t quite say I’m a hunter of weird monsters, but my friends and I tend to keep a look out for ‘em. It’s kinda important we track them down so nothing happens to this place.” She didn’t exactly want to go into explicit detail and worry him further, that wouldn’t be any good.

✿~ “ It doesn’t matter… I refuse to be lectured by a stranger. ”~✿

— She clearly wasn’t lecturing her she was probably trying to give her advice. Of course, Edna would definitely say that instead so she wouldn’t have to explain what she meant by that little spout of poetry she said just now.

Rather than be deterred by the other girl’s bluntness, Mileena merely lets out a tiny giggle. It’s probably hard to rain on her parade when she’s already got an umbrella in tact and handy.

Finally someone else interested in the art of the Kendama. “Of course I can teach you, but first you should stock up with some gels. Being hit in the face with the wooden ball is not a pleasant feeling.”

Well she’s never exactly heard of something like that causing physical harm. It’s just a ball on a string isn’t it...? He’s definitely not talking about the pointy end.

Not that he fully understood the situation, but they had waved the factor that using any of his unique artes would damage the environment in some way. While that did sound crazy, it was a good threat that did work against him. It made him not want to use those artes and that made things a lot harder to escape when that action alone required a bit of extra help that came from such abilities. Jude did ultimately end up using one arte, limiting it to just that. But to hear Mileena confirm that it was indeed harmful? He couldn’t help but feel bad now.

“You have a way of preventing the effects?” as he carefully moved down the hallway with her. Sneaking around like this was something he could never get used to. “I can only be of so much use in battle without the aid of spirit artes, but I’ll do my best.” it was a massive handicap since he could empower his martial arts with artes, so he could only do so much damage without them.

But when Mileena accused him of underestimating her, his eyes quickly widened at the idea. “N-No! Not at all!” he returned as quietly as he could. “I’m sure you can fight extremely well since you got this far by yourself, but…” what he was trying to say was– “You can only do so much by yourself. I hope we don’t get into a situation that will be too much for us, or that I become a burden to you.” that was the last thing he wanted.

Was she that sharp..? Or was that just genuine concern? Either way… “If you’re asking if I can still keep going, I don’t have much of a choice. I’ll admit fighting without using artes does make things more exhausting, but I can rest when we get out of here.” they should focus on their escape. Speaking of which? What he witnessed earlier gave him an idea.

“That mirror you used before? I don’t know how those work, but if you can control it freely? We should be able to use that to see around the corners.” which would give them a great heads-up for any upcoming battles, or avoiding battles entirely. “I was using my GHS up until now, but it’s not really made for that.” as he waved the small device in his hand before returning it to his pocket.

Mileena nodded at his words, though it’s easy to see Jude’s worries when they’re all over his face like that. The Jude they had known made a similar sort of face when they first heard about the Omega Nexuses. Mileena shook her head at that; this Jude wasn’t the same one she knew despite their similarities. Karia floated on ahead of the two, just enough that she was still within earshot but enough the mirrite could go and spot any guards up ahead.

“Our friends developed a device that negates the effects causing harm to our world without harming the user... but don’t worry, if it comes down to it a little usage isn’t bad.” Either way, it seemed like she had caught onto what he was getting at. The mirrist let a giggle pass between her lips, gently closing a fist against her lips to muffle it a bit.

“I figured as much. You’re not that type of guy, right?” He’s too kind for his own good, she would probably say if she didn’t already know his past self. “But you don’t have to worry about me, Jude. If anything, I’m the one who should be grateful I ran into you!” Really, that was amazing enough. His mere existence on this world wasn’t one that Mileena would have ever guessed was possible. Jude’s explanation on his status, though, made sense to her. If he was fighting without spirit artes, it would make things much more difficult. 

At least he wasn’t out of shape if he was spending time with Ludger. Before she can comment on his health, though, his question about her mirrage has her pausing in surprise. Ah, right, this was all new to him!

“Yeah, I can. It’s nothing I’m not used to... but smart thinking! I’m embarrassed I didn’t think of that... Karia’s been playing look out for me. It’ll take a little work, but leave it to me!” She can’t help, but look sheepish there. They’re her weapons, after all, but using them to their advantage would be best. She mostly had been relying on Karia to scout on ahead considering her small size and their connection as mirrist and mirrite. Karia seemed to sense that and floated a little ways back in a huff.

She seemed to agree though and Mileena focused, making sure to step away from Jude just so her mirrors didn’t accidentally smack into him. She was used to swinging her mirrages around, as well as channeling through them, but this would be a tad trickier. It wasn’t long before the mirrors slid from out of her tunic, enveloping her with practiced grace. Now was the time to put this into action! Once they hit the next part of the maze, she outstretched her fingers to send one along the way. 

From the reflection’s view, there was two guards stationed at the very end of the hallway, fortunately with their backs turned. Mileena bit her lip at that, pausing just beside the edge.

“This is the only route we can go, but there’s two guards up ahead...” Karia was the first to speak up, floating next to Mileena’s side. This really would be tricky... They might have to fight now, even though Jude said he was tired.

tagged by : @ufemew-wexub ( thanks a bunch!! ) tagging : @vibraea @aeviga @minacin ( and anyone else who’d like to don’t feel obligated~ )

APHRODITE          laughter-loving, sweet smiles, dressed in silk and satin, flower in their hair, thrives on attention, sees the world as a runway, unapologetically sexual, the sea washing their ankles, in love with love, stirrer of passion, cunning concealed by painted lips, secret daggers, doves, revolution in their kiss, delighting in the waves, flirtatious winks, strolling along the beach, staring wistfully from a balcony, this is how to be a heartbreaker, your girlfriend thinks they’re attractive, wants to be adored, gets turned on by danger.

APOLLO          glitz and glamour, art galleries, turning the volume up, being made of gold, neatly-organized music sheets, notebooks filled with poetry, bathing in the sunlight, the powerful urge to create, collecting vinyl records, beautiful cover of wonderwall, playing multiple instruments, tasting like sunshine, healing touch, speaking in prophecies, smile mingled wrath, shunning lies, sporting shades, hanging out at music festivals with their friends, sleeps naked, arrow to the heart, paint brushes, probably has a Tinder account

ARES          armed for battle, wants to raise a dog with their significant other, soft spot for children, gives piggyback rides, scarred body, blood on their hands and face, willing to fight the world for the ones they love, fights against injustice, warm hugs, well-worn combat boots, boxing gloves, bandages wrapped around bruised knuckles, fist raised in protest, ignites revolutions, fear is a prison, more sensitive than what their tough shell will make you think, exhausted, damaged goods, force to be reckoned with, red roses, curses under their breath

ARTEMIS          keen sense of a hunter, freckles like constellations on their skin, piercing eyes, disheveled braid, moonlight peeking through the shadows, the calm of the forest at night, lying on the grass and staring at the stars, mother doe and her fawn, protecting their kin, the moon shimmering on a still lake, quiver full of arrows resting against the bark of a tree, running with wolves, bonding while circled around a campfire, not being much of a people person, arrow hitting a target, popping egos, patience on 3%, touches heaven and returns howling

ATHENA          discerning gaze, unreadable face, the patience of a lifelong teacher, quiet museums, owl perched on their finger, armor that intimidates, eye for architecture, plays the sims for the sole purpose of building houses, studied the blade while everyone else was busy getting laid, big fan of logic, loves brain teasers, go-getter, balls of wool displayed on shelves, ancient buildings, sweaters in neutrals and cool colors, hair done up, can kill you with their brain, heads to the library often to research, sharpened pencils, abs that can cut steel, stoic statues, pottery classes  

DEMETER          soil-covered hands, smile that can bloom flowers, skin loved by the sun, being the mom-friend, can lift you and your friends, flowers kept in the pockets of overalls, takes pride in their beautiful garden, speaks to their plants (elementals), leaves rustling in the wind, stalks of wheat, picking fruit, greenhouses, heart as strong as a mountain, values simplicity, daisies dotted across a collarbone, curls crowned with flowers, folded pile of sweaters in warm hues, pulling out fresh-baked bread out of the oven and the smell wafting through the air

DIONYSUS          drunk shitposter, on their sixth glass of wine before you’ve even finished your second, seductive smirks, untamed curls, rich fabrics on dark skin, sleek-furred panthers, theater masks, stage productions, receiving a standing ovation, rose caught between their teeth, being the baby of the bunch, wild parties that last from sundown to sunup, creeping vines, inspiring loyalty, grand opera houses, masquerade balls, rolls of film, shattered chandeliers with broken glass scattered across the wine-spilled floor, pouring champagne into flutes, lives for the applause

HEPHAESTUS          the calloused hands of someone who knows labor, sweaty brow, flame burning in their eyes, inventive mind, broad shoulders, steampunk goggles, nuts and bolts stored away in little boxes, ashes, striking a match, blueprints for future projects, fixing up a busted up car and giving it cool upgrades, wrestles with bitterness, work boots have seen better years, wrinkled plaid shirts, iron melted in blazing fire, huge jackets, crafting masterpieces, greased-stained overalls, fascination with robotics, pain is fuel, stack of weaponry, even their muscles have muscles

HERA          resting bitch face, dressed to the nines, cows grazing on a pasture, cool rain, loving and hating fiercely, hand clutching a string of pearls, large chandelier with glittering crystals, plays the sims for the sole purpose of killing off their sims, romance to realism, pictures of the sky while flying on a plane, files that under fuck it, downs glasses of wine as they relax with a scented bubble bath and netflix, like their selfie or you’re grounded, knows 57 convenient ways to murder a man, dark eyes that penetrate your soul, marble and gold

HERMES          devil-may-care smile, ink-stained hands, always up-to-date on the latest technology, will steal your french fries, does it for the vine, shitposter, puts googly eyes on everything, meme hoarder, long drives on the highway, ma and pop diners, spontaneous road trips, folded maps, fingers dancing across the keyboard of a laptop, shooting hoops on the basketball court, chatting up strangers as you all journey to your own destinations, goes jogging in the morning, mixes redbull with coffee, menace on april fool’s, hoodies and sneakers

POSEIDON          storm with skin, colorful coral reefs, waves crashing against the shore, the sea casting its spell, stroking the soft fur of a cat, their heart pounding as their horse’s gentle trot speeds into a gallop, tousled locks, clothes smeared with paint, owns several sketchbooks yet always yearns for more, leather jackets, fondness for diy projects, handwriting that flows across the page, nimble fingers playing the strings of a violin, velvety singing voice that haunts your dreams, mood as ever-changing as the sea, the roar of a motorcycle, compass with a spinning arrow