World War Over Boyfriend: S3

[12:07:31] <@Oxford> The portal around Cille seems to extend as she steps forward, lengthening into a hallway rather than breaking like the surface of a pond. The sides of the passageway look like impressionist images of some sort of landscape, but as she walks forward they become more and more realist.
[12:11:05] <@Oxford> Glancing back, she can no longer see the room in Glasholme, but ahead the painted reality is growing into an elaborate landscape of fields and hills, a tundra in summertime. Brown grasses spread as far as the eye can see, punctuated by mirror-still ponds of meltwater reflecting the clear blue sky.
[12:12:28] <Cille_Lund> It's always been pretty weird going through portals...but here's hoping it's the last time she needs to do this ever. Continue forth, Cille! Towards the future! Don't think for now, just act...and, there! ...Time to get her bearings. Whoaaaaa. ...Her first thoughts are that it looks pretty nice here! That might just be the portal weirdness, though. Whoaaaa.
[12:17:51] <Cille_Lund> ...Gotta shake it off. She's still in a position where she could get into hot water pretty quickly. Hell, she pretty much jumped out of the fire, and into a frying pan, where she must balance on less hot things also inside it to survive. ...It's pretty here, yes. She came here to find someone pretty cute though, and not just a place that happens to be pretty. Shake it off, take a look around. It can't be just the tundra, right?
[12:21:19] <@Oxford> After a few more steps, Cille hears the crunch of brittle grass under her feet, and feels the slight give of the mud beneath it. The air is colder than the last time she was in Novgoraad, bringing up goosebumps across her exposed flesh. Now that she's gotten closer, she can make out a stretch of grasses that don't look quite right, like a rectangular square of them have been raised up at an angle.
[12:26:01] <Cille_Lund> ...Eee. It is pretty cold. Thankfully, she was transformed when she got here, so hopefully BEING TRANSFORMED takes off some of the edge. She can't rest easy. Not until she feels secure. ...And if her eyes don't decieve her, that looks strange, and strange things don't help that at all. Better get closer to it! Take a good look. Maybe a good listen, too.
[12:32:49] <@Oxford> After walking a dozen or so metres forward, she has to divert her path around a small, narrow pool that appears suddenly from behind a low rise. The terrain here is misleading; the brown grass breaks up the outlines of low ridges and streambanks, making it hard to distinguish features.
[12:37:37] <Cille_Lund> ...Strange place. But is it just the place that's strange in general? Can't be. ...Might be. But let's say 'can't be' for the time being. Just...walk steadily. ...Honestly, it might be safer to like, float, but goodness knows what's lurking. If it's a person, she might freak them out by flying. Not that her strange garbs wouldn't freak them out anyway, but let's try freaking them out LESS. ...So there might be someone else with him. She hasn't disregarded that possibility, it's why she didn't go directly to him!
[12:38:34] <Cille_Lund> ...But yet, it definitely looks lonesome here. Strange and lonesome. 14"Just like someone you kn--owww" Cille plucks a crystal, and gives it a glare, before continuing.
[12:42:13] <Cille_Lund> ...Right, those things. Maybe she should just get her hair to cover where that's going to grow back...there. ONWARD.
[12:42:30] <@Oxford> As she walks around the small pond, Cille can see the odd patch of grass from a different angle, and the geometry of the section begins to make more sense. She is looking at the back end of a lean-to, it's roof at about a thirty degree angle, with clods of the brown tundra grass laid up over it to blend in with the surroundings.
[12:49:00] <Cille_Lund> ...Hnnnn. That...that was certainly camoflauge. Someone's hiding out here, she's pretty sure of it now. At LEAST one person. The question is, why are they hiding? ...This had better still be Novgoraad. Should she call out, or is he hiding with a group that would probably shoot her if she dared? Decisions. ...Honestly? She could probably take the bullets right now. It wouldn't be too bad. ...Why is she stressing out. Why must life be hard.
[12:50:45] <Cille_Lund> ...Then again, that lean-to is at a very, very slim angle. Maybe she should actually go round, to peak at the front end of this thing, just to check to see if anyone's home. ...And if there is, hope she found the right person.
[12:50:57] <@Oxford> For only being able to see it from this close, it must be almost invisible from more than about fifty metres. As she comes up closer, Cille can see the lean-to from the side. It comes to about a metre and a half high, and must be about three metres long and the same wide.
[12:54:46] <Cille_Lund> ...Bigger than she was initially thinking. Maybe there's a few people there. Oh god, if he's with a group, how is she going to explain herself? ...How would ANYONE explain her? ...Calm down, Cille. You came here knowing this was a thing. You were just less convinced they could shoot you, but that isn't so bad after a while, really.
[12:55:49] <Cille_Lund> It's like, 'aaaaah, I'm gonna shoot ya' and somehow that doesn't work. Giant flaming magical weapons, that's where the pain is. ...Onward! She has to check either way, no use pondering about it!
[12:59:57] <@Oxford> The walls look to be made from clumps of the local sod, cut into bricks and stacked. The ends of the thin branches that must support the grasses stick out from under the edge of roof. As she comes around the front of the lean-to, she can see the entrance covered with a piece of heavy cloth.
[13:04:24] <Cille_Lund> Nnnnnnervousness. Calm down. What if it's ENEMY MAGICAL GIRLS? Calm down. What if it's other soldiers? CALM DOWN. What if he eloped with another woman? JESUS CHRIST, CALM DOWN. ...You know what, if it IS someone that wants to shoot her, or hit her with powerful magical weapons, FINE. BRING IT ON. ...But let's at least try to expect Vladko to be there, and hopefully for her not to shoot her in surprise.
[13:05:17] <Cille_Lund> ...But then, maybe it would be better to not surprise him by just lifting the cloth. She should use this thing she has. A mouth. Should use it to talk. In Cimbrian, since that's relevent! "...Is anyone in there?"
[13:06:13] <Cille_Lund> TOTALLY SOMEONE ELSE IN THERE INSTEAD, ISN'T THERE. It's OK, she can take the gun. THAT'S OK. THIS IS FINE. EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE.
[13:09:58] <@Oxford> The cloth rustles suddenly, and Cille has to fight to keep from jumping backwards. With a quick motion, it sweeps aside, and handsome face sticks out through the entrance. A speckling of blond stubble has done nothing to remove Vladko Termitsan's boyish charm, and the smile that breaks across his face is the same one Cille remembers from Glasholme.
[13:16:48] <Cille_Lund> Whoath...This is real! THIS IS REAL! "Vladko~~" Cille's joy tears through the incredibly worried and maybe even a bit scared expression she must have had for at least a moment, AND SHE JUST WANTS TO HOLD ONTO HIM AND NEVER LET GO AGAIN though not too tightly since being magical might result in that killing him and that's not good for anyone. She's definitely giving him a hug so long that it would make Lily's earlier hug simply look like a light brush in comparison, and she's definitely crying a little (in joy). "Thankgoodnessyou'realrightIwasworriedeverythingwasawfulbutnowit'sOK"
[13:24:03] <@Oxford> "Whoa there!" Vladko says as she tackles him around the neck. Her mass, propelled by her slight and involuntary magic-propelled leap forward, pulls him out of the lean-to and tumbling onot the soggy ground. He is wearing a thick gray homespun sweater, and it prickles against her as he returns the hug.
[13:24:53] <@Oxford> He plants a long, playful kiss on her lips, before sitting up and turning back toward the lean-to. "Hey Marupol, it's okay! It's Cille!" he says, to the glaring red-head whose head sticks out from behind the cloth door.
[13:30:04] <Cille_Lund> Ahhh, she's a little dazed, now. Earlier, there might have been happiness, but above it hung a sense of overwhelming dread. Here...hm, maybe there's still some, but she doesn't even notice it in comparison, especially not after that. She's here. With Vladko. ...A-and someone else, but thankfully Vladko found her first. That's what matters. "I...I don't bite or anything!" Usually.
[13:31:18] * Firespitter ([email protected]) has joined #WorldWarBurst
[13:37:34] <@Oxford> "Voi. Hanelle," the girl in the says in Novgoraadi. She gives Vladko an angry look and disappears back inside with a huff, flipping the cloth shut behind her. "How are you?" Vladko asks quickly, smiling to show Cille that it's fine, everything's fine.
[13:43:14] <Cille_Lund> ...Dazed, but...that was a thing, wasn't it? "I'm...fine, now! It was getting...kind of unbearable over there. I'm sure most of the girls meant well, but...trying to explain all that might take a while. Who...was that?"
[13:47:29] <Cille_Lund> Don't come off as jealous or suspicious, don't come off as jealous or suspicious--she's not, honestly! She just knows she has to gather some of her bearings, and if she's going to be here for a while, best to at least know who she might have to room with.
[13:47:50] <@Oxford> "Hm? That's Marupol," Vladko says, as if he's confused by the question. "But how are you here? How did you know where to find me?" No matter how unbelievable it is to see Vladko with another woman, Cille's sudden appearence is on a whole different scale of unlikeliness.
[13:54:42] <Cille_Lund> "Magic. ...Well, magic and a good eye, cause I still had to get over here. See, I figured out that my other power was that I could bring things I drew to life, in a manner of speaking. I pretty much made a one-use portal to take me to an area close-by you...and then I fueled it gradually with some help, so as to avoid any accidents. It closed itself, and I got permission to go, so no one else should be chasing us here again!" She explains readily! She notes that she hasn't recieved an explanation, but maybe it'll come with time. ...Or maybe it won't. She's not going to sully this day by asking too many questions!
[13:58:28] <@Oxford> "Amazing!" Vladko says, but then he adds, "Are you sure?" He remembers how their last experience with portals turned out.
[14:02:59] <Cille_Lund> "I built it in so that it would use any remaining magic to seal itself shut, and then disintergrate into nothing. The absolute worst that could happen is that...the person that was 'in charge' over there could get angry and attempt to demand them to find us, but...well, he's bleeding, everyone's somewhat rebellious, and we're current in an unknown position of the middle of what they'd call enemy territory." She remembers HER last experience with portals. "...We're actually in Novgoraad, right? Like, right now?"
[14:05:29] <Cille_Lund> *currently
[14:09:52] <@Oxford> "Yes, we're in Novgoraad. In the central territories, and far north. Any other time of the year, and we wouldn't be able to stand around casually outside." He stands up and helps her up as well, oblivious to the mudstains on his trousers. "Come inside, and I'll explain everything," he says, gesturing toward the lean-to.
[14:13:06] <Cille_Lund> "Alright, alright~" Even if the situation is dire, it couldn't be worse than what she had to deal with before all this, right? She comes in, hopefully out of the hold...also oblivious to the mudstains, mostly blinded by his presence. She'll have to get over that eventually. Not him, of course, but she imagines she'll have to be on her game if she's going to KEEP him, because the world DOES still hate her guts. ...The voices remain quiet, as if waiting for an opportune moment to pounce. The crystal DOES grow, though, back on her head, and her hair isn't in position to hide that anymore! Hopefully he, too, is blinded.
[14:55:11] <@Oxford> The inside of the lean-to is more cramped than Cille expected. Though about three metres by three, the roof starts out low enough that she has to duck her head to get in, and slopes down all the way to the ground, so much of the structure doesn't even leave enough space to sit. A pair of raised pads on the low side of the hut are piled with blankets, and two log-stump chairs sit beside them.
[14:57:49] <@Oxford> Marupol is sitting in one of them, sipping something from a dented tin mug. She wears the same sort of sweater as Vladko, its turtle neck loose around her gracefully thin neck.
[15:06:43] <Cille_Lund> It...is kinda cramped, despite it seeming bigger than she imagined. Still, she...er, two seats, huh? Does that even leave room for her to sit anywhere? Still, an explanation would be nice, so she'll go as directed to hear one. 14"You should have brought snacks, Cille." Oh god damn it, there's no room to maneuver. "Pleaseignorethatvoicethatisalsomagicandkindofapainsorrysorry" WHYYYYYYY
[15:13:24] <@Oxford> Vladko gets a confused look, and he leans sideways to look at the crystal growing out of Cille's head. "Ah?" he asks, but nods as though he understands. "Yeah, snacks. Um, let me see." He reaches for a cup that matches the one Marupol is using and a blackened tin kettle with a wooden handle. He tries to pour, but the kettle is empty. "Sorry, let me make you more," he says, filling it up again.
[15:24:38] <@Oxford> While he fixes the tea, Marupol sips hers coolly, watching Cille through the steam rising from her cup. Silence fills the small a room like an oppressive fog. "So," Vladko says, to break up the awkward moment, "you're probably wondering what we're doing here, right?"
[15:25:38] <Cille_Lund> ...Right. Regain composure. Composure, Cille. "...Y-yeah. This...well, it doesn't look good."
[15:29:23] * Naida is now known as Kraken
[15:30:25] <@Oxford> "What doesn't look good?" he says, frowning down at the tea he's poured into the tin cup. Sounding a little defensive, he adds, "It probably isn't very strong, compared to what you're used to, but it's still good."
[15:33:24] <Cille_Lund> "N-not the tea, the situation that you're in that got you here." Sip! ...This is still nice!
[15:38:17] <@Oxford> "Oh, the situation," he says. "Well, let me see. After you went back through the portal, I thought about the things we talked about, and I decided I couldn't just hide while you were still fighting." Marupol rolls her eyes, tucking her feet up onto the chair. "So I got in contact with a resistence group here in Novgoraad."
[15:41:15] * TemporalMechanic ([email protected]) Quit (Ping timeout: 240 seconds)
[15:43:49] <@Oxford> "Marupol here was in charge of debriefing me, getting all the information I had from when I was a pilot. It turns out, one of the bases I had been stationed at was one they'd never heard of before!" He grins, speaking more quickly. "They wanted to check it out. But since I'm former military, they don't exactly trust me, either."
[15:46:51] <@Oxford> "So after she finished interviewing me, they decided that the safest thing would be to send Marupol and me to do the surrveilance. That way, if I'm a spy, they'd only lose the people they'd already risked by making contact with me. So here we are!" He smiles at Cille, and then at Marupol. "I'm sorry, did I go too fast?"
[15:50:31] <Cille_Lund> "No, no, I think I get it. You...end up in a lot of situations where you're not trusted, huh?" Poor guy. "That said, if you said I was fighting, you...wouldn't be too correct, honestly. We've been...cooped up for a really, really long time, doing pretty much nothing."
[15:54:30] <Cille_Lund> "The last thing we did that was really a battle was cover an Albaean retreat. ...And the last thing we did was watch over a deal that we really shouldn't have watched over. ...After nearly ruining everything."
[15:56:57] <Cille_Lund> "Technically that was a battle, but that's because someone threw a fit, and everyone else handled it badly. It certainly didn't delay my decision to come here..."
[15:57:09] <Cille_Lund> 14"~Magic~"
[15:57:42] <@Oxford> "Well, that sounds like a lot," Vladko says, smiling. "Compared to that, this is more like nothing. It's just like camping, really."
[15:57:53] <@Oxford> He suddenly walks over to Marupol and, despite her frown, leans his head on her shoulder. "That's our cover story, too: if they catch us, we'll say that we're just honeymooners out camping." He frowns and stands back up. "Oh, but now that you're here..."
[15:59:30] <Cille_Lund> NNNNNNNNN. "Y-yeah, I guess I blew something now that I'm here. ...On the bright side, I'm probably stronger than most things that they'll throw at us, and I'm really good at stopping pain, so..."
[16:02:18] <@Oxford> He nods. "Well, we've been lucky so far. But we're still not sure what this base is for. It isn't one of the standard air bases; my flight only stopped here to refuel because of a storm that blew in at our intended destination. It seems like some kind of testing facility."
[16:03:59] <Cille_Lund> "...Hm. If I were to throw a wild gu--" She throws the wild guess and it hits her in the head hard enough to pause for a moment. "--ess I would hope that I'm not right."
[16:05:19] <Cille_Lund> "If no one really knows about it, it would have to be hush-hush business, right?"
[16:09:07] <@Oxford> "Right," he says, nodding. "And if it's not meant as a ferry base for planes, then the only other reason to be this isolated is for privacy."
[16:11:16] <Cille_Lund> "The question, thus, would be...what are they hiding? My guess to the answer is that it's probably magic related. And that would be very, very bad news, since magic does all kinds of bad things all the time."
[16:12:55] <Cille_Lund> "Of note, that would be the one thing I'd be hard pressed to actually defend against, if it's armed with people that know it. On the bright side, it'd probably be really, really important, so it'd be good to snoop."
[16:13:44] <@Oxford> "I wouldn't say magic is always bad," Vladko says, walking over to where Cille is sitting. "Magic brought you to me, didn't it?"
[16:15:02] <Cille_Lund> "W-well~" 14"It also spawned two deadly monsters, one of which basically gave you this rash. ...So, it's not always bad!" Dammit, voices.
[16:17:16] <Cille_Lund> 14"It also threw a guy out the window and is easily the driving force of the war." "...You still mad about Vestergaard?" "Course I am!"
[16:20:06] <@Oxford> Vladko lands a soft peck on Cille's cheek. The part without crystals, at least. "I meant to ask...what are those voices?"
[16:22:54] <Cille_Lund> "That...those voices used to be disembodied, as a result of excessive magic use while fighting. They eventually fell off, I thought, but then later, as a result of excessive magic use and a bad situation, came back on these crystals, and I don't feel like there's gonna be an end to these."
[16:24:34] <@Oxford> "And they say what you're thinking?"
[16:26:28] <Cille_Lund> "...You know what, I think they can explain this one themselves...under the condition that they be quiet for a while unless addressed." 14"Deal. I think we're here to stay this time, yeah. Hi! I'm me!" "And I'm me!" "And we don't talk about the third one, who is directing malice in an unknown direction." "We were made with part of Cille's mind, but we also think our own ways." "We're connected to her thoughts, but we aren't her thoughts!" "Except maybe the third one. We don't talk about the third one." "But you ARE talking about the third one." "Am I? Sorry!"
[16:26:45] <Cille_Lund> "...They're kind of obnoxious."
[16:29:46] <Cille_Lund> "I can quiet them by taking all the crystal off me, but they'll just grow back eventually. They don't like it, though."
[16:30:52] <@Oxford> "Oh, they seem alright," Vladko says, smiling. "Tama on hullua. Han on hullu," Marupol says, shaking her head. He just shrugs. "So you said you had an idea what the base is for?"
[16:32:26] <Cille_Lund> "Yeah, it could be one of two things. A hideout for the ones that USE magic, which would make this place a terribly destructive force, or a place that might be tied to the pendants we use in order to use magic, which is better news."
[16:32:43] <Cille_Lund> "...Did you see the kinds of people in this base?"
[16:34:50] <@Oxford> "Mostly the guards, outside. A few older men dressed as civilians who might be scientists or engineers of some kind." He shrugs. "We can't get too close, but we can see the general comings and goings."
[16:38:07] <Cille_Lund> "...That sounds like it'd be the latter. There's a thing I wanted to do, and this...I guess this is convinent. I feel like knowing how these pendants work would be a good thing, since they belong to the most destructive force in the war. Lily's pulled some strange things without one, and if I knew..."
[16:39:18] <Cille_Lund> "...Yeah, it'd be pretty nice if we knew how these things work, but all we get is 'focus on pendant, boom, you can magic', which says a lot about how organized we were."
[16:45:28] <@Oxford> "That's about all anyone has," he says, nodding. "But I don't know how we'd go about infiltrating the base. There's no way to know they don't also have pendant user guards, as well."
[16:47:20] <Cille_Lund> "Yeah, that's what worries me. The only thing I could say against the idea is that...well, none of the other pendant users I was with really knew how pendants work. I've seen Albaea do shady things, and I'm worried that they're both about as shady as each other, and there's a reason none of us know that is shared with these guys...so it would be bad if they had people here that could use them, since they might find out."
[16:47:40] <Cille_Lund> "Kinda weak reasoning, and not worth risking our lives over. Could be a thing, though."
[16:53:39] <@Oxford> Marupol shakes her head and stands up. "Han tuhlaa aikaasi. Se pommikone tutkimusta; olet nahnyt pommikoneita." She walks out the cloth doorway, and Vladko calls after her, "
[16:53:39] <@Oxford> "Ei valttamatta!"
[16:54:07] <@Oxford> "Sorry about her," he continues. "She's normally really nice. I think she has trouble trusting people."
[16:56:07] <Cille_Lund> "I-I see. ...I guess I can understand that, though." 14"But you power through by pure insanity~" "Not insanity." 14"Well you can't call coming here sane, can you?" ...Did they just...dammit, maybe they're right. At least a bit. She sighs.
[16:59:11] <Cille_Lund> "...Still, this is better than rotting away at a downtrodden bar by a long shot--wait, where's she actually going?"
[17:00:15] <@Oxford> "Her? Just outside, probably. Maybe down to the base to keep an eye on things, though they don't usually do much work on weekends."
[17:03:39] <Cille_Lund> "...Ahh, I'm used to things going wrong, but...you're saying it's OK, so it should be OK. In fact, worrying is why I'm still like this. I should...probably get out of this state, actually." She UNTRANSFORMS! The crystal remains anyway, but she's in actual clothes, now, which might be more comfortable!
[17:05:28] <@Oxford> They're more comfortable, though cooler. The temperature inside the hutch isn't too bad, but judging by the noticeable difference, going outside like she's dressed now would be uncomfortable.
[17:06:57] <Cille_Lund> "...Yeah, it's nicer like this in here. ...Though only in here. I might just go back to how I was once we go outside." 14"Transforming, it keeps you warm!"
[17:09:32] <@Oxford> Vladko nods. "That might be best for now. Though we have some spare clothes, as well," he says, turning to sort through a bag of supplies. "Oh, you'll also need a bed, I guess. You can use mine for now, and I'll sleep on the floor."
[17:15:20] <Cille_Lund> "N-no, I've been living a life with material comforts thus far. You can keep the bed!" 14"Or you can try shari--" She plucks the crystal, completely red. Don't you dare finish that sentence.
[17:17:58] <@Oxford> "That would be alright, as long as you're comfortable with it." Vladko says, sitting down on the blanket-covered platform. "The sharing, I mean."
[17:20:34] <Cille_Lund> The crystal immediately grows back, and quite possible to twice the size it was before. 14"Follow your heart, or we'll bug you forever~" "A-alright! I'll...be comfortable with it!"
[17:26:56] <@Oxford> "Good," he says, smiling happily. "Now, we have some time before we need to start dinner. Why don't you tell me everything that's happened since we parted ways. Are your comrades well...?"
[17:31:39] <@Oxford> They sit and talk for hours, their voices muffled by the thick cloth of the door. Outside, Marupol paces back and forth, alternating between trying to hear what they're talking about, and trying not to. She forces herself to calm down, to breath more slowly.
[17:32:34] <@Oxford> She watches a cloud pass in the reflection on the pool while her heartrate returns to normal, and then turns back toward the lean-to, determined to be the kind of woman a real Novgoraadi would choose.
[17:32:43] <@Oxford> /session