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---------------------------------------​ Shambled Regard "Of Forgotten Memories" ------------------------​---------------

Ziolang staggers into his shack and sits himself on the cot. Dust flakes off the dirty mattress from the sudden use, but Zio paid it no mind. He closed his eyes, only to have his vision filled with images of a small, yet courageous human child. He could imagine the boy a bit older, gruffer, a sword in his hand and a scowl that matched his cheek-scar. Shaking the memory loose, Zio arose, thinking it best he be active else he would be unable to clear his head. He meanders out of the open door, which was only on one hinge, a claw mark where the upper used to be. That blasted dragon again. With little thought to his direction, he walked until he stepped out of the trees, HQ fully in view.

Emma calmly walks through the forest in deep thought by the way she held her arms around her waist and her head slightly down. It hadn't been long since she had arrived in Euthora along with Vale, this strange....alien and warm world filled with verdant wonders in the form of towering trees. Funny. Emma almost felt a little surprised that nature was this vibrant in other worlds, completely contrasting that of her own origins. The deep polar south. All the events that unraveled had changed her fate. She was no longer a servant under a tyranical boss. She was no longer pushed around. Understandably the onslaught of information and events kept the woman's mind clouded throughout her walk. All the chaotic noise within the cult HQ had worn on her, causing her introverted senses to prompt her to escape the chaos for a while. Emma looks up at the sunny sky and presses her lips. "...All this free will feels foreign..." she says in a whisper

Ziolang stops at the forest's edge and takes in the large stucture. /What am I even doing here?/ With a sigh, he was about to continue anyway when something caught his attention. A heat signature not far from him. One he recognized. /She must be feeling better. Bout time I had a sparring partner with some worth./ Shifting his step, he turns back and heads into the trees, following the signature's direction. He made no effort at stealth, he had no reason to hide his presence, so his approach was somewhat louder than usual.

Emma snaps out of her daze as she realizes she had arrived at her destination. A lone patch of forest surrounding a lake of sorts. Jude's lake. Though she didn't know the Lycan too well, he was kind enough to allow Emma to hunt around his grounds for animals. Emma didn't need much, though, as her hunting was usually quick and pre-planned. Why would she need an entire forest, anyway, when she could just use up one spot she's deemed to be the most active for deer and other things. The vampiric girl feels a metal bow form in her fingertips as her other fingers instinctively touch the invisible thread of the bow. An arrow forms as the woman begins to walk around. Looking. Observing. Smelling. There were tracks fresh on the floor signaling that a deer had been around, making her break off a small smirk while she pressed forward. Then she stops and observes a makeshift trap she had made the night prior. A deer desperately wiggling around a net. Emma's eyes slightly narrowed, but she then shrugged it off by aiming the weapon at it. "I thank you for your sustinance. May you find peace as a noble spirit." she recites, then firing an arrow straight at the deer's back neck, ending it's suffering. As soon as she does this, she inches closer to the drap and releases the body from it, then dipping her fangs into it. Sweet sweet sanguine wonder now engulfing her senses with each thirsty sip.

Ziolang straightened the sheath across his back as he walked, trying to situate it better between his wings. The leathery, almost bat-like limbs shifted uncomfortably before collapsing back down into a semi-noticable hunch on the Demon's back. It aggravated him sometimes that he had wings and yet needed assistance from his thermoimpery to fly. But regardless, they made for excellent intimidation. Finally he arrived, but decided to apply a lighter touch to his step so as not to startle the woman with footsteps. He'd rather have his voice be the surpising sound, as any other sound could cause a negative response, considering what the vampire had been through. And speaking of vampire, she appeared to be feeding. Resolving in the end not to say anything, he leans against a tree and waits for her to finish.

Emma , not realizing she was being watched, proceeded to sit down and drag the carcus closer to her. Her white fangs were seething with blood and a purple-ish venom substance which overflowed to the point of it dripping down the corners of her mouth. Emma was never one to be entirely polite when feeding due to being told that there was no shame in embracing the habits of the vampire. It was her heratige, after all. Her culture given to her by her vampiric father. Though of course she was sufficiently civilized due to her human mother's teachings, so she resorted to good table manners when in the presence of other humans. Though this time, almost as some sort of therapy to her, she relaxed and fed as she liked until nothing was left. After draining the animal, she flopped down on her back and felt the grass press up against her....suddenly noticing a figure on the far top of her vision leaning on a tree. Emma immediately snaps right back up and aims the bow at him. "Oh." she says with a rather surprised tone, then partially lowers the weapon "how long have you been there?"

Ziolang watches with mild interest as Emma seems fully focused on her "meal." She had naught but the blood, draining it from the carcass with notable glee. Interesting. Finally, she finished and relaxed, only notice that Zio was there. Her reaction time was a bit slow, but they could work on that. "Not long. I must say I've never seen someone consume only blood, although I'm familiar that there are beings that do."

Emma wills herself up on her feet and proceeds to dust herself off. "Vampires never consume in front of people they don't plan on consuming." she states blandly. "Personally....I can't find the will to do that." after a moment of silence, she allows her bow to vanish into a plume of mana. "Well....It's...rather interesting to see you around here, Ziolang. I don't think I-- or, well, the rest of this "cult" has seen you around as of late."

Ziolang ]] "Makes sense." He responds to her first comment. An awkward air seeps into his hide, sending a chill down his spine like an icy finger scraped along the ridge of his back. Thankfully, Emma spoke again. Well, almost thankful. "Yeah I uh-" A boy with a scarred face. The image so real he felt as if he could touch it. "I needed some space." He pauses again, but this time a distant, somewhat questioning look filling his eyes. "Are you planning on staying? With the cult I mean?"

Emma stays silent for a while as if trying to think it over. He brought up something she was trying to avoid. Emma had no idea if staying in Euthora was a great idea. /...then again, Zero's daughter is here...my best friend is here....I don't...hrmph./ she tries to speak up but pauses, as if trying to find a way to answer appropriately. To make a choice /Though I'm technically a full blown traitor now to the Sadistic Seven....so I don't think I can settle back home. And the boss's daughter is such a nice person to me....would I even dare to abandon her..?/ "I'm...I'm not entirely sure. This group is strange...I will give it that, but it's not like I have anywhere else to go."

Ziolang moves closer before sitting cross-legged on the ground, instinctively crossing his arms as he does. "Strange. Most definitely strange." He takes a long, drawn out breath. Masuke would always try to get him to voice his thoughts, saying it helps to get another side of things. Of course he rarely would, he'd have to relive anything he ever said to Masuke. "I don't understand why I'm here myself." It was a moment before he realized he'd said that out loud. Hastily he added "I mean uh... well just... um..." Nothing was coming, a diversion! "Are you gonna eat the rest of that deer?"

Emma tilts her head curiously to his unintended blurt. He wasn't here because of the group either? Why would he stay? /...quite the interesting demon....raising more questions than answers.../ Emma awkwardly blinks, giving off a small smile as she uses her once severed hand to toss the carcus at him. Though she tosses it way too hard, causing the woman to wince slightly upon making the mistake. "--Oh! I'm sorry about that" she mutters

Ziolang catches the deer with relative ease. "No problem." /Well, now I have an entire dear... and I have to eat it right now./ He sighs lightly, placing the corpse along his lap, wherein it then meets with an engulfing flame that slowly cooks it. "Well, I wouldn't rely on the 'no other options' idea. Decisions are what make the future, not indicisi-" He stops mid-sentence, cursing himself in his mind. Here was telling someone to make a choice and yet he wasn't heeding that same council. Sentiment was getting him and that needed to stop. Scar-faced child; blinking the image away. "Oh who am I to say what you do." He opens his hand and in a small burst of emerald radiance, an ornate dagger appears therein, a soft silvery color with a violet stripe down the center of the blade. He maneuvers the tool throughout the cooking deer, injesting pieces with his hands as he cut them off.

Emma || "I'm not...relying on that. It's kind of a given that I can't really return home unless I want hordes of my former comrads hunting me down for betraying them...for betraying the team" the last part she holds out a tone of slight dissapointment. But Emma shakes it off and follows by sitting down as well, looking at the fried carcus rather indiffierently. As a vampire, eating actual food wasn't really much of a priority. But this was a mortal. Of course one would eat the carcus. Though while she observed the demon scarf down the food, she places her chin on the palm of her hand. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but what are you doing here all alone in the woods anyway?"

Ziolang shrugs as Emma relates the fate of a choice she could make. "I wouldn't say betray." Although he doesn't pursue the topic. He gives out a light chuckle at Emma's question, mostly to mask any potential emotional leaks. "Well, the same could be asked of you, but I'll try not to be like Jude and turn the question back at you." He pauses between bites, contemplating. Well, may as well. "I just got back from an interesting trip and thought I could use a distraction."

Emma || A distraction, eh? A memory pops up-- no, a scene of her first night in Ustream. The brilliant sounds of metal clashing in what would be considered a battle between enemies. However, it felt like more of a game than anything. She remembers a mere moment where the demon told her she was a capable sword fighter but lacked any proper training. That a rematch would eventually be due. Unknown to her, deep down she felt some excitement at having yet another showdown. The sword was an extension of hers. A close quarters extension like an arm, unlike the bow which was an extension of her mind and focus. Emma lifts up her head, giving off a faint smirk. "I'm surprised, Ziolang. You were constantly keeping an eye on me to make sure my blade arm was better, and now with your need to distract yourself you don't even offer a spar with me."

Ziolang half chokes on the morsel in his mouth, but manages it down. "Oh uh..." He never was good at recalling those minute details found in the dross of small talk he gets himself roped into, so it took him a moment to fully grasp what she was referencing. Then he remembered, all too well. /Wasn't she offended about that? How confusing.../ "Did- did you want to spar? Cause yeah, I'd love to."

Emma laughs lightly under her breath, taking in the demon's downright awkward demeanor as entertainment. He slightly reminded her of Three-- Emma shakes off the thought quickly and answers. "I....well... I wasn't planning on sparing today, but since I remembered our last fight, you mentioned about my lack of skill. Also....hmm, well, from what little I can gather from you...you only respond well to fighting, so why not? I need to also keep myself sharp around here."

Ziolang nods and gets to his feet, tossing the remains of the deer aside as if it were nothing but rubbish. All interest in food had vanished the instant the opportunity to fight was presented. "Alright then! If you're sure you're up to it, then let's do this." He removes Zhegard from its sheath, twirling it a bit before settling into a casual stance. "It'll be nice having a worthy opponent for a change."

Emma slashes her left hand to the side. The silvery blade of her choice materialized in her hands and with a quick swoop she grabs the handle and initiates the first blow. A horizontal slash designed to create distance while creating force. Emma's enigmatic red eyes kept their focus on her target as she then slid her right foot back and her left forward. Her blade rises up to at least her midsection in anticipation of a counter attack from the demon

Ziolang was in motion as soon as Emma. He leaned backward just enough to be sure he was clear of the range of her opening slash, then pushed forward immediately to follow in after her. His blade was at a chest-high rising strike as he came in for the engagement, but Emma had her sword positioned for the repose, the sound of metal resounding in the air as their blades met for an instant. The moment brief, Zio came off the met-blade with a pull-back of his wrist, cycling his word into a shoulder-to-hip vertically downward slash.

Emma easily blocks the blow with willing her blade in a downwards motion to catch the edge of Zhegard. With the momentum at hand, she pushes her blade up slightly to free it from it parrying hold, then twirling the blade in a circular motion just before horizontally slashing to his right, then following up with a diagonal slash

Ziolang 's force glides into his parried blow, the blade sliding down til Emma tilts her blade so as to catch the Demon's sword. Zio tries to lead into a lunge from the opening created, but the vampire was already raising her blade, pushing Zhegard off target and into the empty air by Emma's head. /Is she faster than before?/ Hastily he pulled out in a light spin with Zhegard in tow, but wasn't quick enough to catch the first stike. The silvery blade's tip bit lightly through Zio's hide, but the Demon had managed to gain enough of a semi-distance to avoid any serious injury. The second blow came but Ziolang was ready for it, catching it with his own blade, then pushing it back and following into a rising chest to shoulder strike.

Emma feels her blade pushed back. He's going to counter with something serious, she thought in the back of her head. She uses the power of her blade being pushed to ready her body. She places pressure on her forward foot and then slams her back foot slightly, making her move back rather quickly to narrowly avoid the blade from making any contact. Her own blade rises up and points towards her opponent as if in waiting

Ziolang follows his failed strike with a second, but Emma is already too far back for a connection. He resituates his blade at his side, poised to continue. "You fight better free." He proffers, taking just a second to brush his light would with his free hand. Blood trickled out, but nothing threatening or serious. "It feels like you have more purpose in your actions." No more words, time to re-engage. A step forward and then push-off for a rapid forward drive which morphs into an upward strike, but a feint that swirls back and slides in from the right side.

Emma feels content at the comment Zio made. She didn't entirely realize she was more lighter in her steps and get sword since becoming free. Though now was not the time to dwell on chatter. She focuses on on the forward burst of speed he unleashes and the perception of an upwards slash. She appropriately stands her ground and holds the blade horizontally and lifts it up above herself to intercept, but then she realizes it was a fake move. Quickly upon feeling the blade cracking the air next to her, she twists her arm and managed to block the blow at her right side. Emma quickly presses forward with her sword arm and twists her body to the left to gain a new position. She loses no time in action by pushing her blade forward and then sliding it up to once again free herself from the parry hold

Ziolang 's blade strikes ridhedly into the silver defender. A blast of metalic sound echoes Emma's moves as she repositions, getting her blade free while simultaneously refusing Zhegard its purchase. The Demon is unperterbed in his follow-through, using the force that pushed his blade away to switchhis blade into a back-hand hold and immediately following through with a wide swipe at Emma's stomach, but too short to reach it. He leans in with the swing so he can catch the handle of his blade with his other hand, instantly switching them and driving into a now left-handed lunge..

Emma twirls her blade in response to once again follow up, but she then spots his hand switch. Crap. Emma decides to keep the blade near her vital areas--upper body-- and goes on the evasive. She instinctively bends back and positions her blade horizontally across her chest. Her intense red eyes spot Zhegard as it darts above her nose, then with the proper timing she places her free hand on the surface of her blade and pushes it up while Zio's blade still was in motion. Emma places her right foot back to support the weight of bending back and then uses that force to push forward and regain her footing. Taking up the defensive wasn't good. She quickly regains her form

Ziolang ]] Zhegard speared the air with a deadly his. Emma had made an impressive acrobat bend, but at the same time held complete control over her blade. /Very impressive./ The fire-light glow of Zio's blade blurred back to him as the vampire had instantly followed by pushing it away with her own blade, empowered by her free hand. Zio winced just slightly at the thought of her using that arm, but drowns it in a wave of concentration. Emma is back up and Ziolang is already moving into a low leg-sweep in that he might catch her left leg before she's fully positioned.

Emma 's concentration does not break from keeping an eye on Zhegard. However, ignoring the rest of her surroundings was coming back to bite her. Without any proper time to react or even notice, she feels a force kick off her left leg and completely take her off balance. The woman gasps and falls backward "--Ghah!" The cry is cut short as she tumbles down the edge she'd toppled over... directly into the lake.

Ziolang stops short and simply watches as the scene plays out. A small dip in the ground catches her footing, spilling her backwards and into the shallow edge of the lake. A moment of silence, then laughter. The Demon lodges his blade into the ground and moves to the edge. "I guess that's my win, then." He says between chuckles. Finally, he offers his arm so as to pull her out.

Emma || there is no visible response from within the lake. The form of the vampire quickly melds in with the aquatic blues as Emma herself transforms this misfortune into an advantage /That was unfair!/ she mentally hisses, feeling her foot touch the bottom. As soon as it does, she presses down and pushes up with great force while spinning. The result is a massive explosion of water creating a thick wall of water and in between the sudden surprise of the water diversion, Emma's form sudden phases into view from above as she executes a perfect vertical slash on Zio's form

Ziolang ]] The Demon's laughter is cut short when he realizes she isn't resurfacing. He'd find her with his heat sensory, but this was sword-on-sword only and Emma hadn't officially given in yet. Regardless, he needn't wait long when the vampire bursts out with a watery screen in her wake. In the same instant, Emma was there, sword already on him. Reflexively, Zio dropped to a knee and raised his bare hands above him, therein appears Zhegard to catch the strike just in time. He turns to allow the strike to slide then pulls back so Emma has room to land. He takes another step back, then sheaths his blade and extends his open palms. "Well, I forfeit. Called for Zhegard. Not allowed." Despite the loss, the Demon felt strangely content. He still mentally chastised his foolishness, but he couldn't help but feel something positive about it.

Emma tosses aside her blade which immediately vanishes, her lips splitting in an amused smirk. It wasn't often that Emma herself would feel confident, even slightly cocky. But the draw was enough for the woman to close the gap between this fight and her last with him. She won. Though...not entirely in the way she wanted to. Dripping wet, she immediately begins to squeeze out the excess water in her hair "I will take that without any complaints. That...was a very good match...quite different compared to our first encounter"

Ziolang nods. "Yes. I could feel your fighting spirit in each blow. Whereas in our first match, it was like fighting a beast in an arena; free to act, but not free to be." /Look at me, I'm starting to sound like Masuke./ The Demons steps forward and offers an open hand to shake. "Ziolang Hirasu. Demon of Deveron."

Emma simply blinks and slowly inches her hand to grab his in a shake. She clearly looks confused. "...I know your name already. Are...you alright?"

Ziolang shakes his head with a grin. "No no. The one who knew my name was a nameless nobody missing a purpose. Now Emma Isokoski knows my name." He releases her hand. "'The rising Twilight' if your name were to be Demonic. I think."

Emma almost narrows her eyes with the demon's initial statement, but then realizes he was transitioning to a compliment. strange. therewas a brief instant of pressure obstructing her breathing but she instead shrugs it off. "I...heh, thanks. That was an enlightening spar. Shame I won by default though.." she gives off a casual sigh

Ziolang nods again. "Yes, a shame..." The Demon shifted uncomfortably, he hated small talk and he could tell that's where this would lead. "Alright, you should probably go get dried off. I should go fix my door." The Demon walks over to retrieve the remnants of the mostly eaten dear, turns back to give a farewell... well nod, then walks off into the trees.

Emma gives a nod to wordlessly say "right" and looks at her once injured arm. "you've done well. With a little more practice I believe I might even surpass him in combat." She falls silent to think /Thats what I wish to strive for now./