[Action in Caedarva Mire]

[futurefab.livejournal.com]

It should be around here somewhere… [Lilisette sorely misses the company she recently left, but she has a task to accomplish as well. She vaguely remembers the map that Vincent showed her on her sky phone, but it looked like a straight shot so she hasn’t checked it all day. Besides, she has full faith in her navigational skillset.]

[But as she moves forward, she notices thick curls of mist forming around her ankles.] Weird. [She makes a face, crinkling her nose in a mixture of curiosity and uncertainty. No one told her this would be easy, though, so she presses forward and moves a tree branch out of her way as she walks forward.]

[As soon as her feet are clear of some brush, her pointed ears pick up the faint rustle of dirt, grass, and leaves. She reaches for her dagger quickly, and as soon as she sees the beady eyes of the bug she does not hesitate to fling the dagger through the bug, into the dirt. It squirms, working to break free of the blade that that’s grazed its body and pinned a few of its legs to the ground.]

[Lilisette has enough time to tap out the steps to her Thorned Stance before it jumps at her, the chigoe small and angry. Its teeth rip into her arm as she rolls to the side to grab her dagger from the dirt so she can face the insect with her full arsenal. They make a few more swipes at one another before the bloodsucker attaches itself to her side.]

[She lets out a soft wince, but she does not hesitate to drive her dagger through it, the tip just barely grazing her flesh. Blood runs down her side, but it’s nothing a waltz cannot fix. The cleaning of the dried blood is left for later as she holsters her daggers, but her steps are more cautious as she moves onward. At the first sound of snakes she stomps out a Spectral Jig for good measure. Whatever this place is she wants to be rid of it as soon as possible.]

[Yet just as she comes upon a clearing, she sees decaying bodies moving around a pool of water.] That’s just… too gross. [She makes a face of disgust, one hidden by the spell of her dance, and swallows past a nauseous lump in her throat as she slips past them. Coming face-to-face with the source of the snake-like noises that she had heard earlier causes her mouth to fall open, and she barely skirts by the half-woman, half-snake Lamia.]

[Just as she believes she’s in the clear, she hears a small melody from a horn. She turns toward the noise just in time to see an Imp lock eyes with her, a sinister grin on its small face as it begins to cast on her.] Goddess help me. [She moves just in time, the fire spell licking at her back and singeing the ruffles on her carefully-kept uniform. Her disguise gone, she begins to run through the Mire, her only hope that she can outrun the beasts that turn to give her a hungry look as she passes them.]



((Tags for Rishfee and Vincent. Come save your favorite dancer!))

Comments

[immortal-lion.livejournal.com]

[He half suspected that Lilisette would not have liked that, but he wasn't exactly prepared for the words which followed. He blinks slowly, half tempted to ask Vincent what the living hell she was going on about, but catching himself. Instead he merely watches her little fit - words calm.]

As you haven't noticed, I hadn't mentioned the middle lands or you. Neither of you understand the lamia. Fighting them in numbers is a mistake- for they can turn any allies against anyone. If you wish to charge in there and get killed, it's more of a burden for me to destroy you afterwards.

{He turns then to Vincent. His words to Lilisette were calm and frank, dismissive even, but Vincent at least should notice that her fit actually annoyed him. Quite a lot more than what he's trying to show.]

...Besides. I don't even want to entertain the thought of fighting you.

[chaos-vessel.livejournal.com]

[Vincent couldn't have told him much, since he didn't know anything more about Lilisette than Rishfee. He certainly notices Rishfee's irritation, just as easily as he can read Lilisette's. He doesn't exactly want to step into the middle of it, but if he doesn't it probably won't get sorted out at all.]

Then there's nothing stopping her from taking control of you, either.

[He only crosses his arms, and ducks his head behind his cloak's collar at the last part of what Rishfee said. There are too many layers to that statement for him to even bother to respond to them all, so he simply doesn't do anything beyond acknowledge that it was said.]

Then what methods do you use to fight them?

[futurefab.livejournal.com]

I'd love to see you try. Exactly.

There are many types of dances with many uses. They didn't place them on the front lines during the war for nothing.

[immortal-lion.livejournal.com]

[The war, again? He decides to not comment on it and merely looks away, half tempted to tell her to trot along quite merrily to become an undead servant of the lamia. Yet as mentioned, it becomes more of a problem for him. It's sort of funny, really. While middle-landers are not liked in the near-east, she's actually the first one to hit every single nail laid by the talk upon the streets of mercenaries which are more trouble than what they're worth on the head.]

... Here.
If you want to go on this fool's errand, take this. It will protect you; but I only have the one. If you see me or her become charmed, I advise that you run back to this staging point as quickly as you are capable.

[He rises, and walks to the tents. Then he pulls a certain something (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Merrow_No.17%27s_Locket) out of one, and throws it to Vincent. You know what he really, really wants to say? "Or shoot her." But there's a little thing called humanity that he just can't seem to get over - and is actually envying the other Immortals for being capable of, at the moment.]

[chaos-vessel.livejournal.com]

[If it was truly a private conversation, they would have managed silence, or at least a good deal more discretion. As it is, Vincent is glad for the corroborating opinion, even if Rishfee obviously doesn't think it means much.

He examines the locket, then raises an eyebrow at Rishfee.] You think it will be able to reach me so easily?

[He doesn't bother to put it on at the moment. Doing so would probably requite removing the cape first, anyway.]

[futurefab.livejournal.com]

[She sighs; he could only disregard her so long.] Since we're going to do this, why don't we at least pretend to get along so we can get out of one another's hair with haste. These things likely have a weakness, and they likely have a tell before they try to take one of us--likely one of you is more to their taste. In any case, why don't you share what you know? We can only work well together if we're open with one another. You've fought them, you have the intel.

And you. [She turned slightly toward Vincent.] My sambas probably won't do much for you, but I'll do what I can.

[immortal-lion.livejournal.com]

[He sighs. Then he straightens, and moves his arms behind his back as he speaks. Lilisette would likely see it as politeness, but Vincent's been around him long enough to know that Rishfee actually tends to do that when he goes on auto-pilot.

...He disregards most of what she has said, much like he's disregarded all of her questions to this point and decided simply to not answer. But one thing she says does sink in; the sooner they do this, the sooner they can dump her on the outskirts of the mire, wave goodbye, and go to Nashmau as originally intended. ]

They are as I have said. If you weren't listening, I will reiterate my point. They are aggressive hunters, which hold the ability to turn allies against one another. We refer to the status as charm. They're similar to your lands beastmasters; only we are the monsters. ...And generally, they are much more successful in their attempts to charm than any beastmaster. "One of us being more to their taste" is a foolish sentiment, and has caused the deaths of many imperial soldiers and foreign mercenaries in the past. We are little but meat to them. Meat... and potential servants.

[He moves his gaze to Vincent.]

...I believe your abilities at distance will at at least matched with the lamiae. Their weakness is close range. If you were to keep your distance as normal, you would soon learn their accuracy and speed in a painful manner.

[chaos-vessel.livejournal.com]

Then we'll just have to take it out quickly. Whether you want it or not, you have our help.

Right. Then I'll stay as close as I reasonably can. [Arrows and Guns both work at a farther range, after all. His best weapon when he's closer is the demons, and with Lilisette there, he doesn't want to use them if it's at all possible, even if he doesn't have much control of the demons in battle. He glances over at Lilisette and nods.] Focus on doing what you can. Don't waste energy.