Grayell laughed and slipped an arm around her, giving her a quick squeeze before starting the walk toward town.
"No one will question you with me by your side. They might stare but don't you worry, just keep your face concealed. I'm no longer affiliated with the Guard but there's enough old dogs left to let the new blood know who I am.
So. This woman. How are we to find her? What's the plan? Because if you want me to put the hurt on her and get a confession, I'm more than up for that kiddo."
He smiled and nodded, they had an awful lot to catch up on. Her leaving Wistvale under those circumstances had left a knot in his gut he couldn't shake for years, it only abated when he knew she was safe. But he had promised her he'd protect her and he meant it, both then and now. She didn't need to know how far that promise could reach and what strings he had pulled to be damned sure she was never in danger she couldn't manage... but that was hard too. She needed to do things on her own, needed to learn and to grow. She had, but still...
"So. Wind cutting. I know someone who knows something about that. He could give you some pointers. I might know a bit about it myself. Theoretical stuff of course, I'm no wind mage."
Tallia "There are some things... that we all can't escape from..."
Tallia gave a short nod under her hood. As long it was over her head, nothing other than her nose and mouth were visible.
"It's... not as simple... as... finding her... but... more like... letting her find... me... As you said... she... anticipates my... arrival... She knows... I will come... for her here... She's the one... behind... all this... If you... want to know... what's... happened... she is your... answer... She... will not... confess to anything... Trying to interrogate her... is very... pointless... I don't know... what... I should do... if I... face her... She... she is not... simply my... enemy..."
She went quiet, unsure exactly how to explain this to anyone.
"I... she... is neither my enemy... nor my friend... I am... hoping we may... talk."
There was peculiar emphasis on that last word, somewhere between anger and great sadness. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"Ah... that... technique... I just... started practicing with... that..."
Preparing her blade, she examined it closely, as if she was looking for something she didn't she before.
"It started off as... something... to make my blade... stronger... After a time... things... progressed... but not... in the direction I was... facing... Then... it came to me... I figured... as a swordswoman... I could use it to my... advantage... Needless to say... my body... isn't... capable of it... yet... But... I will develop it... I will... get stronger..."
There wasn't any doubt in her mind about that, she thought, as she put her sword away. Of course, magic was still a foreign element to her, even though she had "awakened" years before. That wasn't ever going to stop her from trying. No... she had to become stronger than her.
"Though... a few pointers... would be... nice."
She looked up to Grayell. More than anything, she knew he was worrying about her, but she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to himself during the time she was gone.
"You say... you are no longer... the commander... What has happened...? What of... Lady Margrett...? Who is still... present...?"
Her curiousity was nagging at her, not knowing what's changed within her old home. Many times on her travels had she thought of Wistvale, returning, even if meant her death. But, the thought of throwing everything away, including the task given to her by her mother, kept her steady enough to never succumb to her own selfish desires.
Grayell adjusted her hood some, pulling it a little lower and then smiling in approval as they approached the gates. They walked past the gate sentries with no issues, just a couple of strange looks and a knowing nod from one of the guards toward Grayell, which was returned.
"Well, these lads are Sentinels. Marg is in charge of them, they're the new guard and there's more than enough of them. She keeps peace and order in Wistvale simply enough. You don't break the law, it's a lovely place to live. Mostly.
Other than that, the other guards you worked with have moved on Tallia. As did I. I have bigger things to deal with. Bigger problems."
They made it away from the gate and the prospect of prying eyes and he slowed his pace to weave through the crowd.
"Alright. So no idea where to look for this person.... to just talk?"
Tallia "There are some things... that we all can't escape from..."
Tallia felt the urge to go see Lady Margrett, but... she knew she had to take care of this first. It didn't stop the thought from harassing her mind. Everyone had gone their own separate ways? She couldn't say it was unexpected, but, it was still a little sad to her.
"I see..."
She payed no mind to the eyes staring her down; for the longest time, she had been used to this feeling, always being questioned by the people around her.
"That's about... right... We'll have to... search... a little bit... It won't be... too much... to... find her..."
Yes... It would have to be that way. After all, she was in the same circumstances that she was in. Or, at least, that's what Tallia thought, anyway. If she had to do that to get her to find her, there was no doubt that she would want to know what has been going on with Tallia. Of course, she would have questions for her, too.
"Yes... you see... she is... someone I was... close with... Someone that knows... more about me... than anyone... I also... have something to... discuss... with her... But... she is a bit... 'wild'... which is why... I need to... find her... I... don't quite... understand... what's going on... anymore..."
Grayell have her a somewhat confused, sideways glance as they slowly made their way through Wistvale. Anyone in Wistvale with suspect purpose would likely be by the docks and older markets area.
"You're not telling me much Tallia. Really, you're almost speaking in riddles. But I am going to hazard a guess and speculate we find her down this way. Keep your eyes peeled."
Tallia "There are some things... that we all can't escape from..."
Tallia wished it was easy to say, easy to come out with... but, when that troublemaker happened to be "her", nothing was really easy.
"S... sorry... I—"
She stopped. This wind... It felt so familiar. She turned behind her, and a figure stared back, as though they spotted each other at the same time. The distance between them was great, but they couldn't be any closer than now. For a moment, time had stopped. It was just them, accounting for each other and each other alone. Then, she ran. She turned and ran through the crowd, expertly weaving in between them with great speed. It didn't take Tallia a second thought afterward to give chase, as her feet had already reacted before she did. She was so close to knowing the truth. And, this time, she wasn't going to let it get away.
He spun and then gave chase, not nearly so swift or so lithe through the crowd. Tallia was more agile than him and of smaller frame, perks of her feline heritage. But he was hardly a slouch when it came to getting on the run and his longer legs made up some for the extra time it took him to make it through the crowd without completely knocking someone on their rear.
A couple of jeers and shouts of protest from people he bumped...
"Sorry.... yeah sorry about that..."
... and he was clear of the people, trying to catch up to Tallia and the person she was now pursuing.
Tallia "There are some things... that we all can't escape from..."
While she didn't look back to check if Grayell was OK, she still wondered if he was alright. With him being a former commander of the Guard, however, she didn't think too much on it. No, she was way more focused on the woman in front of her. The answer to all her questions, the question to all the answers. She was closing in... The woman had occasionally knocked into someone to slow Tallia down. She knew she was getting close, and she could practically feel her, too. They blew by the front gates, not even sure if there was any guards after them for being so suspicious with their chase. They came into a nearby forest, the birds startled away by their speed. Suddenly, the woman slowed, then stopped completely. With Tallia right behind her, she barely managed to stop herself from falling over, almost running the woman down. She never got the chance, though, as the woman jumped to a nearby tree. Tallia stared. She knew wasn't going to run this time; Tallia was faster, and it seemed she acknowledged that. There was a long silence. Was she scared? Was she angry? Or did she simply not want to acknowledge what was going on...? After what seemed forever to Tallia, the woman turned to face her.
"久しぶりだな...♥"
It was a rougher voice than Tallia's own, a sign of her tomboyishness. The woman turned to face her, a poignant turn at that, placing a hand on her hip afterward. With a flick of her hand, she threw the hood off of her head, letting her hair free in the process. What stared back at Tallia was an exact double of herself, the only exception being the mischevious smile, and the wild, tangly, shoulder-length hair she carried.
"ほら、ほら... I came all this way to see you, don't make such a sour face at me... it hurts, you know."
The doppelganger gave a playfully sad look to Tallia, not really trying to fool anyone with her acting. Tallia simply glared back. She was still trying to accept that this was real, that she had finally caught the culprit. And, now, here they were. It was time to ask some questions.
"How—" "—am I alive...? Hahaha... I bet you've been waiting seven years to ask me that question...♥" "...!"
The time past is a little bit too precise to be a simple coincidence. So, it really was her, then... She didn't want to believe it, nor even have the thought of the fact that she was behind all those events so many years ago.
"You see, I soon learned at that failure so many years ago, that I had been... um... what's the word... ah, forgotten, like they wanted me to be. Our originization wasn't so kind to me as they were to you. You were their favorite, Tallia. They loved every precious little thing about you. Knowing that you would try to come after me, they... sealed me away."
Her playfulness was suddenly gone, as her speech descended into a much more somber tone.
"It was like they threw me into a grave, left to die... that place—I won't ever forget that place. The rotted bones of other children forced into that fate... the horrid stench... the pangs of hunger... It had almost driven me insane. Luckily, I had my wits about me, and managed to dig a hole to the surface from that underground hell they'd constructed. When I finally made it, I had collapsed, half-dead, and they decided on giving me another chance when they had found my body. Where you were at the time was the highest one of us can conventionally reach that rank, but... they decided I shouldn't play nicely with others."
Anger resonated within her words now, her voice a bit shaky and full of malice.
"They made me into another puppet, like you, but... rather than picking off contracted targets... they had me killing off those within our group. Anyone who showed any opposition was handled immediately. Anyone showing signs of failure were hunted down. Yes... that means I was after you for some time as well, Tallia." "...!"
Her head swam with disbelief. They had already put her into that situation, and, now, that...? They were really heartless...
"I couldn't do it. I wouldn't do it. You are simply too hard to kill, my dear Tallia. I got tired of it, too. I successfully managed to fake my death and escaped that horrid hell-hole. It wasn't easy, but it was sooooo worth it."
The doppelganger was back to what seemed her normal self, any of her negative emotions gone from her face and voice.
"After all, I got to see you again...♥" "..."
There was still more. And she wasn't going to let her go until she was done. Tallia stared back at the girl, her eyes focused. The doppleganger understood, giving a disastisfied "humph" and turning up her face at Tallia's lack of emotion.
"So, I guess you wanted to also know about what happened with the jewel. Well, to keep a long story short, I got it, though, it wasn't without consequence."
She lifted her left arm out of her cloak to show exactly what that meant. It was covered in scars, but, strangely, it was in a pattern, some sort of design.
"It definitely hurt a bit. I assume you still have hers?"
Tallia gave a slow nod as the doppleganger returned her arm to her side, underneath her cloak.
"Good. We'll need to act soon. I hope you didn't think I wasn't going to be here for this? I know you didn't see me, but they told you they couldn't find my body made you really think that?"
She grimaced. Yes, she remembered... the news she got that she had been missing and pronounced dead had shocked her for days. Being unable to express emotion, she simply swallowed the "truth" they had given to her. It tore her apart from the inside, distancing herself with any kinds of relationship with the others.
"All I'm really worried about is finding the last of these things... From what I've heard around is that it's here. In this area. I dunno where, but we need to find it soon if we plan on keeping things alive much longer."
There wasn't any doubt about that. Things seemed to be getting stranger and stranger. If something was coming, they were going to need to power to stop it.
"でも、あの時…" "...'that time'? Oh, seven years ago...? How could I have forgotten...? Well, to put it simply, I needed your assistance, and your current position made it hard to get close to you. So, I... "arranged" a few things, if you'll excuse the pun...♥"
That flower... she knew she was behind that. It was her favorite; she was no doubt trying to send a message to her, and it seemed it had reached its recipient. The doppleganger smirked to herself, finding amusement in such a simple gesture.
"Then, why—" "—did I kill that innocent man...? Ah, well, it would troublesome to find the crime committed to be a farce. I needed them to be blinded by the gravity of the situation. It would be no fun if they just found I did it."
She deemed a life neccessary to perish for her own plans...? It was already making her angry. There was a bit of it starting to show on her face.
"He... didn't deserve to... die...!" "And we didn't deserve to live the way we have, have we? Doesn't change the fact that it doesn't really matter now..."
With a flash, she drew her sword out to her left side, the hilt gripped firmly with her hand.
"この..."
The doppelganger followed Tallia's movement, drawing her own sword to her right.
"ああ、懐かしいな... Just like old times, it seems... Come, let me see how you've grown."
The woman smirked, an even more mischievous look on her face.
Grayell stepped from the tree that kept him concealed then, easy, lazy steps as he fell in beside Tallia. He was watching the Tallia twin in the tree, then back to Tallia... once more to her double. He had his blade, still sheathed resting across his shoulders, arms draped over it lazily. His right foot drifted across the dirt and grass, him looking at it idly as he spoke.
"Ya know, I'm gonna go out on a limb here. You two have a score to settle and I know how that goes. Honour and all that other phooey.
But I also know that Tallia is on the Sentinel's wanted list."
Grayell looked up to the double again with a grim smile, his eyes glaring.
"Gee it'd be neat if I could prove it wasn't really her."
Tallia "There are some things... that we all can't escape from..."
(Tallia, I am going to let you write this yourself. Gray getting written out of a whole fight scene just forces him out of character. I can't for the life of me imagine why he would have stood by whilst all of that happened in front of him.