Razhiel stared at the evening sun, violet eyes distant. Here she was, now in South Fiore. It actually was not that hard to find information on Raven. Most of that information was vague though. Or something that fit the personality that she already knew. The most amusing was Dawn City to be sure. Razhiel shook her head at the memory. A sigh escaped. What was she honestly doing? She was sitting on a pier, pants rolled up with her bare feet dangling, toes just skimming the water. Laying back she looked into a sky filled with scattered clouds. Dark boots tossed on the pier behind her.
Her mission now was to slay monsters and prepare for the Darkest of Days. Yet here she was, while slaying monsters, looking to settle a score. If she were to be honest with herself, she was being selfish. There was no one anymore though, so what did it matter? And that is where it comes full circle… minus all the personal stuff that complicates it even further. She chuckled quietly to herself. If she were to be honest she would be considered a stalker. But she didn’t know enough. And she did not think she was ready to face him yet, reason why she was merely tracing footsteps and not actually hunting him down. Despite the years that had passed, it was all still tangled within. Nothing was clear and the rage she held. She inwardly shrugged, she had a feeling that it would come to a head and sooner rather than later.
Sitting back up, she stared out over the water, inhaling deeply. One of her favorite places was next to an open body of water. The smell was crisp and the air was energized. Her magic hummed within her. Violet orbs skimmed the water, watching the half dozen boats out in the water closest to her. She wondered if she would ever settle, ever find a spot and be willing to stay for a long period of time. It didn’t seem realistic. It seemed more of a life for someone else, someone more connected. She lived from hunt to hunt at the moment. If she didn’t die facing off with Raven and actually came to find closure and clarity, what then?
She lay back with a thud, eyes closed, as she purposely hit the back of her head on the planks a few times. Not hard enough to injure just hard enough to jumble her thoughts. She could see now why the girl in Dawn City would consider her so lost because deep down inside, she truly was. Jumping she ran a hand through her short fiery hair. Right, that only succeeded in a mild headache. Shrugging off her leather jacket and laying it on the pier so the emblazoned red dragon flying through lightning was facing the sky, she turned towards the water. Biting her lip and oblivious to the racket of noise around the pier, she pushed off and dove in the water.
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Jun 26, 2015 22:47:59 GMT
It really was quite pretty, the shore. The brunette let out a sigh as she closed her eyes, taking everything in with the rest of her vastly improved senses. It was just one of those days - she had to get away from home for a little while, even if it wasn't far. She'd been training entirely too hard lately, and a couple of guild members had made her promise to take a bit of time off.
She supposed it really was nice to not be training or taking care of a kid the entire time, and she found that she was having a rather nice afternoon. It had been a long, long time (or at least it felt like it) since she had gone off, wandering Fiore on her own, a lone hero with more guts than actual talent. This town was where that had all changed. At varying times she'd met different people here, each of which had done something to tear down the walls she'd built for herself. Now those walls were virtually gone. It was a weird thought process when one stopped to think of who they were verses who they had been.
She was brought out of her thoughts when a peculiar smell crossed her nostrils. She halted, glancing around without showing any real sign of her sudden apprehension. It was faint enough that she might not have detected it before the showdown with Nox and the dragons... but at this point...
"Ahah." Kotone spied a woman taking a swim in the water. The dragon slayer was pretty sure she was the source of the scent; She stuck out for some reason. Flipping her hair back behind her shoulder, she approached, standing on the edge of the pier. "You on vacation?" She asked casually as she placed her hands in her pockets.
Razhiel was facing away from the pier, her legs keeping her above water, as she watched the sun in the sky. There really was nothing that could compare to the sun setting over open water. With its reflection it was as if two lovers were meeting after the long chase of the day. This was what she needed. To let it all go and be in the moment. When life became to much or your focus so intense… What did he say 'Someone consumed by their mission loses themselves. And those who lose themselves only lead others to ruin. ' His words. She had no one to lead anymore but she was losing herself. It was good to stop and let time slide by to appreciate the little things, like a sunset. And the fantastic feel of water against one’s skin.
Hearing someone speak behind her, Razhiel turned around. Violet eyes took in the woman’s appearance. Pushing back her short, fiery hair which was plastered to her face, she swam closer to the pier. Looking down at her body in the water in which she still wore her shirt and jeans, she replied, “More like an impromptu mini break,” and gave a quiet laugh. Looking back up, the wind spurred at just the right moment bringing with it the scent of something familiar yet different. Fate? She found it peculiar how when she lost sight of her way only to take a moment to clear her mind, someone who smells as strong as he does shows up. Gesturing with her arms spread as she kept herself afloat she said “Plenty of room. Nothing quite compares to moving water against the body after a hard day… or days rather.”
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Jun 26, 2015 23:54:00 GMT
Kotone's eyes quickly scanned the water and the girl swimming in it. Something was off about this girl; her scent was proof enough. The friendliness that went with it was hardly odd, though something about her said she was a dangerous person being friendly. Was it the look in her eyes? The confident gaze? The dragon slayer moved her hands from her pockets to a crossed position, on more of a guard than she physically seemed to be. "The problem with that... I didn't bring any swimwear," she admitted, shifting her weight more to one leg.
"It's been awhile since I traveled enough to spend much time in water that wasn't a bath. You'd think I'd gone nice and soft if that was all you'd looked at." Kotone grinned a not-quite-cocky grin, flashing her fangs. It wasn't like she actively tried to keep who she was a secret. She'd been pretty bad at that even when she was technically supposed to do so. "So where do you come from, Red?" she asked, her habit of giving people nicknames before she knew their names obviously having never gone away. "Something about you caught my eye... or my nose, rather." No sense beating around the bush. She might never get answers otherwise, and mind games weren't her style.
Razhiel watched the woman in silence. A thoughtful look crossed her face when she crossed her arms. Razhiel had to wonder if it was her smell that put people off or something in her demeanor. Considering the girl in Dawn, who couldn’t of had an enhanced sense of smell, it had to be her demeanor. Swimwear was an excuse considering Razhiel was in the water with her clothes on. She said nothing about it however. The thoughtful expression on her face was replaced by a grin when the stranger told her in a subtle way that she was no one to take lightly. It was not an arrogant grin more of an honest one for someone being upfront without being entirely cocky about it. The flash of fangs however, was not subtle and it instantly brought to mind an image of her and a certain someone in her room above the tavern back in former Valland and the feeling of fangs on her neck. Razhiel blinked. The flashback caught her off guard. Now it made her doubly curious as to who and more importantly, what this stranger was.
Red?! I like that. She replied with an amused tone. Swimming to the side of the pier, where the ladder was, she continued. “Not from here… If I am being completely honest, not from Fiore.” Razhiel began to climb out of the water. Walking by the woman, not bothering to act on guard nor hesitate from passing by so close, she grabbed her leather jacket. Though she had on a colored shirt, the wetness did not hide the tattoos on her back, arm, and chest. Pulling from the inside of her jacket, she grabbed a cloth and proceeded to unfold it; it was the size of about four of her hands. Hanging the jacket on one of the post, she turned back to face the fanged lady. Though it was a bit of a dance between two people who knew the other was a hell of lot more than they appeared, she did not want it to turn into a fight. Unless it called for it. So when she turned to face the other, she made sure not block the path back to inland. Drying her hair with the cloth, Razhiel tilted her head slightly her gaze unflinching. The setting sun seeming to blaze within their depths. “I could say the same about you.” She smiled then, “The name is Razhiel. Though I wouldn’t object if you preferred Red.”
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Jun 27, 2015 1:42:40 GMT
The woman wasn't from Fiore, huh? Kotone tilted her head slightly, wondering who exactly she was. She resembled someone... but exactly who... eluded her. She hadn't been out of Fiore a lot, and her few experiences had been rather... violent, as many things a slayer tended to get involved in.
She returned the ice wizard's words, telling her that her name was Rahziel, though Red was fine. "I like how Red sounds," Kotone decided nonchalantly. She'd called Raven Blaze a lot in the past, back when they traveled together. He only became Raven when they'd... walked out of each others' lives, so to speak.
"Kotone," she answered back, uncrossing her arms so that she could offer a hand. It was still weird to do that. She understood the gesture, but she'd spent most of her life not being so... touchy. Still, she was told people appreciated things like that, and it might keep things friendly, at least until she figured out who Red was. "What brings you to Fiore, then?" she asked casually. She wanted to demand exactly who the woman was... but she was already being avoidant. She'd have to try to actually be polite.
Razhiel was surprised by how much she liked getting a nickname, whether it was from a stranger or not. She put that odd thought in a box to be examined later while thinking to herself, Damn, I might actually need friends. Humanity… a pain in the arse. By the examining look she got from the other woman, it might not have been wise to give her full first name. She doubted it would work in her favor if it were known she was the former princess of Valland. But maybe it didn’t matter so much anymore… Unless of course you needed money. There was still a bounty on her head in the factions that were once Valland.
Color her surprised when Kotone introduced herself and extended a hand. Reaching out and taking the offered hand, she shook it. She didn’t care for those that took the shaking of hands as a strength contest nor did she care for those, particularly women, who had limp handshakes. “Kotone,” she said simply in acknowledgment. She would bet her life the person before her was someone important. So the next question, though phrased casually, Razhiel assumed was to figure whether she was a threat or not.
”Sword fighting, so to speak, is easier than social dancing, in my opinion.” It was hard for her to answer proper social queues, probably the reason why people seemed off put by her. Or maybe it was because she was a foreigner in a country that was trying to rebuild itself.
Leaning against the railing, connected to the post holding her jacket, and draping her elbows on it she responded. “I am here for a couple of reasons… She couldn’t help but look out past the water as she answered. “My home, most likely permanently, is now Fiore. As for here in Cerulean… I love the water. It seemed the best place to escape for a little, if only to swim.” She ended the last with a soft chuckle. Looking back at Kotone, she asked ”What are you?”
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Jun 27, 2015 3:50:06 GMT
"What am I?" Kotone blinked. She was almost not used to people not idolizing her. She sounded like some sort of mercenary. There were a lot of those, and she knew a few people who were, in fact, basically mercenaries, so that in itself wasn't such a bad thing to her. Not to mention that guilds were in their own way, like minor mercenaries themselves.
She chuckled. "I could ask the same, Red, considering you don't smell like a normal human." Her grin grew a bit. "I'm Kotone Lazarus, Dragon Slayer," she held up a hand and an large, intricate ice snowflake formed rapidly, her blue eyes flashing with arcane light. "Ice dragon slayer to be exact." She was less of a braggart than she used to be, but that didn't make the dragon slayer any less proud. "Judging by your smell though," she looked her up and down, "You remind me of someone in the guild. Devil Slayer?"
Razhiel smirked as Kotone told her she didn’t smell like a normal human. She was surprised and a bit dismayed when Kotone admitted to being a dragon slayer, only for the fact that it made sense yet she had not made the connection. Not only for Kotone but also for Raven. Razhiel had had her suspicions but Dragon Slayers did not come to Valland openly. “Dragon Slayer… Right. Now I feel slow.“ Razhiel looked at the hand Kotone held up, her own eyes lit up as the snow lake appeared. “Ice Dragon Slayer Extraordinaire… I have not seen snow in a very long time.”
When the conversation turned to her and Kotone looked her up and down, Razhiel could not help but stand a bit straighter. Soaked clothes and all. With a raised eyebrow as she stared at Kotone, she lifted her own hand. From above, a cloud hung, and a lightning bolt struck down from within it to hit the center of her palm. It took a lot more power to call lightning from thin air as the manipulation of charged particles needed to take place but within a cloud the potential was there, a pathway just needed to be made. Her body the perfect conduit, her power the perfect amplifier. Razhiel nodded to Kotone, “You smelled me right. Another Devil Slayer you say? That is interesting.
It seemed to be the perfect opportunity to mention the other reason she was essentially here. “I have encountered one other who smelled similar in a way. He goes by the name Raven… “
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Jun 27, 2015 4:57:24 GMT
The other woman felt the need to show a small display of her own power - a lightning magic user like Tatsuma (and a few others wizards she'd come to know). Well, she didn't seem to be a threat currently, but if she ever was, Kotone had experience with people like her... or, at least similar to her. Devil Slayers were a resourceful bunch in her experience. Kotone allowed the ice she was channeling to shatter into nothing more than sparkling dust in the wind that quickly faded. Ice was a potentially beautiful magic, and Kotone had always appreciated that more than she let on. "Slow huh?" She chuckled. "What, just because everyone and their sister has heard of me by now?"
And then Red mentioned Raven. The name caused a visible change in Kotone's demeanor, though exactly what she felt when her breath caught... even she didn't know. Images of the fight with Nox flashed through her head. Her own battle... and witnessing the aftermath when Raven walked away after slaying his own father figure, even if it was at the dragon's request.
"So you've met Blaze, have you?" She crossed her arms, letting out a sigh. "My condolences." It was a half joke. She'd never exactly reconciled with the man, even if she was no longer angry at the mere mention of his name. He was probably the most complicated person in the world to her. He'd been her rival, then her friend, then her crush, then her enemy... and then... well, what was he now? The ice user wasn't sure. "Red hair, sunglasses, leather jacket?" she eyed the girl's own leather jacket.
Kotone moved her hair out of her eyes before pulling out a hair tie to tie her hair behind her. It was always windier at the beach, and she wasn't of a mind to reveal her wind magic to the woman as well. "What? He didn't play the part of jerkish playboy when you met him, did he?" She chuckled, remembering how angry she was at him about 50% of the time. She had acted angry the rest.
"I know him all too well," she told the woman, her smile not quite vanishing, but definitely lessening. "Though, I admittedly haven't seen him in a few years." Her gaze became more serious as she tried to puzzle out who this woman was who might want to know about him and who was also a devil slayer. As much of a playboy as he acted, he wasn't really one. "Last I heard he'd gone to Valland to make his amends there." Is that where she was from? Who was this Raz?
Yea she was slow. Or rather just an obvious foreigner who had not blended well with society yet. She shrugged it off; it was something that would be fixed with time. It was also something that could not be helped right now.
After mentioning Raven she saw the obvious change in Kotone. Razhiel inwardly sighed. “I wonder if that is everyone’s reaction when his name is mentioned… “
Amused she repeated, “Blaze?! Another nickname I take it. And could not help but laugh when Kotone offered her condolences. Her reaction was more subdued than the last person’s and for that she was grateful. Though Razhiel decided she would not be asking about him anymore. It caused more trouble than it was worth. After giving a general description, she followed Kotone’s gaze to her leather jacket. “Sounds right… And the jacket is a bit of a long story and has nothing to do with Raven.” Though after she said it, violet orbs became distant as she studied the jacket a moment longer. Dragon Slayer… Red hair… red dragon… Flametongue… flames. Razhiel frowned thoughtfully before her eyes turned back on Kotone.
The jerkish playboy comment had her thinking of the few times they had met up years ago. If anything it was the opposite. She had pursued him. Had she not fraternized and instead done what her father would have, would her father still be alive? Somehow she doubted it. If she had done that would she be a shred of the person she was today? Complicated questions. Too complicated to think about in front of an essential stranger. One whose relationship to Raven was yet to be determined. Which brought her focusing on the serious face intent upon hers.
At the mention of Valland and making amends her eyes narrowed subtly. “There is no Valland… Hasn’t been for years… And make amends for what?” Her head half tilted as she asked the question… What would Raven have to make amends for? Or rather why would he feel he had to make amends?
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Jun 27, 2015 16:11:45 GMT
"So you've been asking around then," Kotone concluded when Red mused that everyone must react like Kotone did. She watched her for a short moment, shifting her weight and watching the gears turn in the foreign girl's head. The fact that she was foreign didn't bother Kotone. Nothing about her bothered her except her strange interest in Raven. It was so... pointed. What was between them? She was trying to sound neutral but...
Kotone chuckled, shifting again before closing her eyes to think. "There's no Empire of Valland," Kotone agreed, "But the people who lived there still live there..." She opened her eyes and looked at Red pointedly, "For the most part." That was the only reason she'd reasonably care so much. She'd lived there. Her off scent still reminded her of someone she'd met, and she'd only met a few people actually *in* Valland proper. That left a few choices, but then who she was related to didn't matter to Kotone. Blood was nice, but it didn't mean as much as people wanted it to.
"Raven and I... have a complicated history, as the two of you must if you're so fixated on him as to ask around. Well, that or there's some bounty on his head, which wouldn't surprise me, but you're not asking the right questions for that." The dragon slayer's slightly cocky grin grew a bit for just a moment. "I traveled with him for awhile. We were friends once. Heck we might have been more than that if we weren't both too self-centered and broken to realize it." Not that she regretted what had happened instead, obviously.
Was she his new girlfriend or prospective girlfriend? She could just be a friend, but in her experience enemies wanted to know locations, and friends usually accepted their friends rather than running around asking about friends. "To make a long story short, our friendship ended on a sour note when I yelled at him and left and never looked back. It's still complicated between us as far as I know. He saved a lot of people a few years back. Probably more than I can even imagine... but he had to kill the dragon that raised him to do it. He didn't stick around long after it happened, and the few inquiries I made led me to believe he'd gone to the former Valland to try and help stabilize things there... or something."
Crossing her arms, she leaned back against the railing. Though her hair had dried, her clothes had not. Due to her already increased body temp, she was not cold. It was more of an irritation than anything. She was tempted to up her body temp using her magic to help dry them. The look from Kotone had her forgetting about her clothes. Razhiel lifted an eyebrow in response to Kotone’s pointed look, the corner of her lip curling upward as she inclined her head. “For the most part…” She agreed. “I am from what was once called the Empire of Valland. And it was where I met Raven. “ Razhiel conceded, she could tell the dragon slayer was probing; trying to decide if she was a threat? To Raven? She recalled when he first walked in that tavern. Her safe haven. The place where people knew who she was but her title did not come into play. Though he did not show he was injured, she could smell it. The next day she learned of the death of one of their prominent generals and a contingency of soldiers. She wasn’t stupid. She also knew that, had she fought him that night, he still would have put up a formidable fight. Correction on the stupid, she was for not carrying out her duty with the information she had.
Razhiel merely smiled at the mention of fixation. That was one way to put it. Curious. Postponing the inevitable. At the mention of bounty on his head, and Kotone’s cocky grin, she openly laughed. Kotone had a point though. What was she looking to gain by asking around about him? She had the feeling if she did ask questions about his abilities it would not be met with friendliness.
As Kotone told her short story, what amusement was on her face had vanished. Razhiel’s expression was decidedly neutral. That was until the slayer’s last statement in which Razhiel couldn’t help the frown that formed between her eyes. There was a lot of information in that short story. And most of it just added to the inner turmoil within Razhiel. A lot had changed within the three years since they had last seen each other. She couldn’t imagine what killing one’s father would do to someone, though she found it ironic. She also found it hard to believe he would go back to Valland. For six months following the downfall of the empire, she had kept in touch with certain friends from the Capital. After an incident she stopped all contact. Razhiel deflected and stated, "For someone who never looked back, you are trying hard to figure out what I am to him or he to me. You seem content here. Is this home for you?" Looking out at the shore she added, "I could understand why." Clouds were beginning to move in. Another reason she liked it near water, the unpredictability of the appearance of storms. She could feel it.
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Jun 28, 2015 16:12:46 GMT
Kotone had been right. The woman was from Valland. Exactly who she might be nagged at her mind despite the fact that she knew it didn't matter overall. It was a curiosity, nothing more. The dragon slayer watched her for a moment. She seemed to be thinking about something while they talked. About what, Kotone wondered, though it didn't matter enough to ask out loud. Not yet anyway.
"To be completely honest," Kotone answered Red's question after a short pause, her own smile vanishing after a moment, "I'm asking because Raven has a habit of getting himself into trouble, and I've all but asked the most obvious question - who are you, and what does a devil slayer want to do with him? By default I'd ask if he did something stupid enough to get one of you to hunt him. But your questions simply don't match that. If you were hunting him and wanted intel, you'd have asked something that might tell you his combat abilities or his habits of where he stays, not questions that at best are to convince you whether or not you should be hunting him down in the first place."
Kotone's grin, as always (so far anyway), reappeared, possibly more cocky than before. "As for me, yes, this is my home. I'm married to the guild master of Lamia Scale, and am..." she paused and glanced away to think of her wording before looking back. "Learning what a more normal life is."
"But enough about me," she deflected, "Who are you that you pursue a man like a bounty hunter and yet are not interested in facts that would help?" Her curiosity was getting the better of her. "You don't like him, do you?"
Razhiel uncrossed her arms. Using her hands she hopped up to sit on the railing. Even sitting her back was straight, her hands clasped in her lap. She listened to Kotone’s speech who was serious and whose smile was gone. It was true, her questions were of a more personal nature. Kotone’s cocky grin wasn’t gone for long. But than being an infamous slayer with the power to back up the reputation and the good fortune of having a family Razhiel could understand why. She almost smiled when Kotone brought the conversation back to Razhiel. About to respond, her mouth open, Kotone’s last question had her mouth closing. Silence for a second. Razhiel gave a cocky grin of her own, head tilting slightly as she watched Kotone. “Despite its simplicity, that is a complicated question.” She stated, avoiding the question.
Her chin tilted up slightly. “You are right again. My interest in Raven has nothing to do with my being a Devil Slayer. If I were to be hunting him, I would not have to ask his habits of where he stays though I am curious if you would know something like that.” She raised an eyebrow slightly as she regarded Kotone, “As for abilities, I have gleaned some information from our discussion. He is a dragon slayer, one of which actually slayed a dragon which would attest to a certain amount of power. Given his last name and infamous jacket I would guess fire to be his main element. Known as a war hero in Fiore, it would suffice to say he is a formidable fighter. Slayers in general seem to share a common ability- so enhanced senses. Dragons being animals- I would also hazard a guess that the enhanced senses would be more of an animalistic nature. All of that general information but enough to work a bit with. Though if you would like to discuss the battles you two have been in, I wouldn’t object.”
Razhiel abruptly changed the conversation, knowing it wouldn’t be changed for long. “Not nearly enough about you. Im curious what does normal look like for a dragon slayer?”
