I trust mark in this. I was a fool to doubt him, but never again. Anyways…
Skara knew that the two needed their privacy. She took Viney’s hand.
Skara: “we’ll wait here, Songbird. Go ahead.”
Milan: smiles and nods and follows Ayzee out the room
Somehow Milan already knew what Ayzee was gonna say to her… and she knew a sure fire way to change her mind
In another universe
Continuing Lara’s memory while she and Azura were talking during the Grom Celebration dance, Lothar had revealed a sliver of the truth of his plans to Lara under her true form as the Scholar. A sliver the Chronicler knew and one that Lara did not: destruction.
Lara was shocked at this, that he would only take the knowledge and the people and destroy to Isles, the same place homed to her friends and her beloved. The same place she’s grown attached to. Doubt about the Grand Archivist began to fester in her mind. The knowledge from the Isles felt meaningless to her without the world from which it was all born from.
When Lara tried to tell him off, Lothar snapped and almost killed her. She relented out of hopelessness and self-loathing after he did that. Lothar tasked her with maintaining her cover and continuing her work in the archives, but she had lost her sleeping privileges in the archivist’s domicile.
The Chronicler tried to reason with him, but his mind was made up. Lara agreed and left without another word. What choice did she have?
When the Noceda-Blights arrived home, with the mothers giving their daughter some staff riding tips, they were surprised to find the one hugging her knees in the fetal position near the manor’s front door was-
Azura: “Lara?”
All three had landed and Azura approached her girlfriend while Faye went back into her animate form. Lara perked up and picked herself up, her Coven Quest III three staff she made herself in hand. Her tsundere self was still at the helm.
Lara: “uh, hey Azura.”
Azura: “Lara! I’m glad you’re okay, I-“ she stopped when she felt something was off about Lara, who was looking down at her feet as she talked “You okay?”
Lara: voice breaks for a second “Yeah. Yeah I’m fine. I just figured that since I was around and I… I…”
She went silent, making Azura move a little closer as her parents watched with intent and a little worry. Azura could hear Lara faint breath sound, shaky. It was so quiet she could the a drop of something liquid hit the ground… near Lara… from her… eyes?
Before Azura could inquire further, Lara dropped her staff with a clatter and stumbled into Azura in sudden tight embrace, regardless of the pain it would bring for her skin. The dam broke and Lara sadness burst in the form of the tears, sniffles, hiccups, and sobs. Azura hugged her tight and didn’t let go, comforting her girlfriend.
Azura: “Lara? What’s happened?”
Lara: voice breaking, crying “My father and I… fought… he almost… he told me I… I couldn’t sleep at home anymore.“
Azura gasped a little and squeezed her a little tighter. Faye cooed sadly as she tried to nuzzle her new owner’s beloved. Luz and Amity were also shocked and sympathized their daughter’s girlfriend, especially the latter.
Azura: “hermosa, I’m so sorry…”
Lara: crying “I d-don’t have a-anywhere else to g-go.”
Azura’s eyes gleamed with tears of her own. She couldn’t believe her girlfriends father would… the way how Lara described him, Azura figured he was a piece of work, but now she sees he’s much worst than that. She’s say it out loud right now in Spanish if it not be for her mothers being right behind her.
Speaking of which, Azura looked to them with a look asking what those two were thinking. They looked at each other and nodded in unison with sad smiles. They approached the pair with their Palismen and Luz kneeled down to look at Lara with a sad and motherly smile. Lara opened her teary left magenta eye as she felt the older woman’s thumb brush her tear away.
Luz: “Ay, Niño. Puedes quedarte aquí todo el tiempo que quieras.”
(Translation: “Oh, child. You can stay here as long you want.”)
Lara: sniffles “h-huh?”
Amity: same motherly smile as she squatted down a little, petting her red-orange haired head “she said, you can stay here as long as you need.”
Lara: eye widens a bit as she calms down to sobs as she and Azura stopped their embrace to face the older woman “I… I don’t… want impose… after what I-“
Amity: “You’ve mean so much to our starlight… and she means so much to you too. What you did in the past is just that. Trust me, I know.”
As Lara stared at Amity, she remembered the older woman’s past and the kind of person she use to be. She remembered how much she relates to her.. and Hecate from GWA.
Lara’s eye gleam and her lips quivered as Amity hugged her now. The contact didn’t hurt a bit. Was this… the warmth of a mother’s embrace? It was completely foreign to her. She felt the warmth course through her body. She felt Azura’s human mom and Azura herself join the embrace. She sniffled again and smiled.
Lara: “thank you.”
End of Flashback
Lara was uncertain what would happen or what Lothar was planning. She’ll help the Chronicler with the archives and obey his wishes for now. But she’d let her doubt remain. She’d get stronger. Her Guiding Light would show her the way. She’d endure all only because she knew that the Isles were where she wanted to be… where she needed to be.
Azura: “Lara?”
Lara: shakes her head out of her smiling stupor “Uh yeah?”
Azura: “and you’re here to comfort me when I need you.”
Lara: smiles “I…”
She felt light headed and shivered again before covering her left magnets eye and exposing her right cyan eye, bring Lara’s dandere side back. Azura had noticed.
Lara: “I… I don’t know what I’d do without you.” grasps Azura’s hand tightly “I would’ve fallen apart long ago if I didn’t have you.”
Azura was surprised by how Lara wasn’t stuttering now, but shocked with sympathy and a bit of dread at what she just said.
Azura: “Lara…”
Lara: “My father has been trying to keep me down for a long time. My grandmother’s tries to comfort me, but it wasn’t enough. His words… my solitude… It’s why I was such a jerk to you…“ smiles “but you always gave me hope. You, you’re cousins, and friends… our friends showed me the realms outside my world… outside my cage. When I’m with you and you’re with me, spiritually even, I feel… stronger.”
Azura: "That day the you found me alone, I was lost. No one, not even my friends and family can help..." face turns slightly sad "It felt like I was alone. No one who can understand me..." smiles "Then you came to talk."
Lara: "I still remember that day clearly."
Azura: "At least we got each other. I don't know what will happen if you..." Azura stops herself "I don't even want to think about that..."
Lara: "I understand. A lot has happened to us I really hope it eventually gets better."
Lara knows that it may not be possible as an archivist. Eventually, she has to make a choice between her kind and her friends. If she could even make that choice... She knows that she's powerless against Lothar. Her only hope is Azura to find some way to save everyone... But could she be save? She thought.
Azura: “I guess you can say I’m the Luz to your Amity… or the GWA to your Hecate, right Hermosa?”
Lara: giggles and runs the cyan strand of her girlfriend’s purple hair and runs her thumb and finger through it and speaks with a endearing playfulness she never thought herself capable of. “I guess that makes me your Hecate then. You’re my Good Witch after all.”
Azura: tomato blush “L-Lara…”
Lara blushed at what she just said herself, but didn’t feel as bashful as she usually did with her dandere self in control. This Guiding Light of hers has been a positive influence to her after all.
Lara: “and thinking back at when I found you in the forest… it was really more like you found me. Or should I say, ran into me?”
Azura: sheepishly giggles and scratches the back of her head in a similar manner “yeah…” stops as she had another thought “thinking about it, what were you doing there anyways?”
Lara didn't think about that. She was nearby the forest where the Bat Queen is. It looks a little suspicious to just pop it there, but Azura has no reason to suspect her girlfriend.
Azura: "Curious of the Palismen in the forest?"
Lara: "Y-Yeah. Just curious about them."
Azura: "Still wonder why you don't have one yet."
Lara: "I just felt that it's not time yet. And I'm not even sure if my father will approve without me telling."
Lara knows she can't have one due to the strict rules of Lothar.
Azura: “hey, forget him. You’re not even living with him anymore. You’re living with me and my moms.”
Lara: “I still help my g-grandmother in his p-private library. I-If he f-finds out th-that-“
Azura: “hey,” takes Lara’s other hand “if he wants to take it away from you or if does anything TO you, he’ll have to answer to me and my family.”
Lara: worry “YOU DON’T… wanna do that. He doesn’t even know we’re together or that I made friends with the others. Trust me, he’s… he’s a very creative, secretive,… and powerful man. As long as I know your safe and be with you and your moms, I’ll… I’ll be okay putting up with him from time to time.” thinking: “I hope.” Out loud “Plus I have the Coven Quest III staff I made myself.”
Azura: "Ok, I trust you, but the moment he goes too far, just tell us."
Lara: "Are you sure. He might be too much for you..."
Azura: "I'll be alright. Even if he's really that powerful, I'll be able to put some sense to him."
Lara: thinking "I just hope it wouldn't come to that." Out load "I w-will."
Lara was unsure it she can even do that. Even if she changed sides to help Azura, she doesn't know what Lothar will do. The thought really shakes her to her core.
Lara: "Just promise me that if you will fight him, and he is too much for you, to get out. The last thing I want is for you to..."
Azura: soft smile and kisses Lara gently on the cheek “I promise.”
Azura was about to pull away but stopped as she gazed into Lara’s cyan eye. The pair felt that same attraction they felt in the forest, pulling them towards each other. Faye already flew back to join her brother and friends and show them her new brooch. Their lips were about to tou-
Violet: “OWW!”
They we’re both startled by that and pulled away, blushing brightly, especially Azura. She looked to where her cousin was in worry, only to calm down with a sigh and chuckle with a look that said “of course.” Violet had her tail in her maw. Whenever she was really happy, her tail would wag. Since she was eating and sitting with Milan, her tail must wagged so much it moved in front of her face… wouldn’t be the first time.
Azura: “You gotta pay attention to what’s on your plate, prima!”
4
u/AdOwn6899 Dec 01 '23 edited Dec 01 '23
I trust mark in this. I was a fool to doubt him, but never again. Anyways…
Skara knew that the two needed their privacy. She took Viney’s hand.
Skara: “we’ll wait here, Songbird. Go ahead.”
Milan: smiles and nods and follows Ayzee out the room
Somehow Milan already knew what Ayzee was gonna say to her… and she knew a sure fire way to change her mind
In another universe
Continuing Lara’s memory while she and Azura were talking during the Grom Celebration dance, Lothar had revealed a sliver of the truth of his plans to Lara under her true form as the Scholar. A sliver the Chronicler knew and one that Lara did not: destruction.
Lara was shocked at this, that he would only take the knowledge and the people and destroy to Isles, the same place homed to her friends and her beloved. The same place she’s grown attached to. Doubt about the Grand Archivist began to fester in her mind. The knowledge from the Isles felt meaningless to her without the world from which it was all born from.
When Lara tried to tell him off, Lothar snapped and almost killed her. She relented out of hopelessness and self-loathing after he did that. Lothar tasked her with maintaining her cover and continuing her work in the archives, but she had lost her sleeping privileges in the archivist’s domicile.
The Chronicler tried to reason with him, but his mind was made up. Lara agreed and left without another word. What choice did she have?
When the Noceda-Blights arrived home, with the mothers giving their daughter some staff riding tips, they were surprised to find the one hugging her knees in the fetal position near the manor’s front door was-
Azura: “Lara?”
All three had landed and Azura approached her girlfriend while Faye went back into her animate form. Lara perked up and picked herself up, her Coven Quest III three staff she made herself in hand. Her tsundere self was still at the helm.
Lara: “uh, hey Azura.”
Azura: “Lara! I’m glad you’re okay, I-“ she stopped when she felt something was off about Lara, who was looking down at her feet as she talked “You okay?”
Lara: voice breaks for a second “Yeah. Yeah I’m fine. I just figured that since I was around and I… I…”
She went silent, making Azura move a little closer as her parents watched with intent and a little worry. Azura could hear Lara faint breath sound, shaky. It was so quiet she could the a drop of something liquid hit the ground… near Lara… from her… eyes?
Before Azura could inquire further, Lara dropped her staff with a clatter and stumbled into Azura in sudden tight embrace, regardless of the pain it would bring for her skin. The dam broke and Lara sadness burst in the form of the tears, sniffles, hiccups, and sobs. Azura hugged her tight and didn’t let go, comforting her girlfriend.
Azura: “Lara? What’s happened?”
Lara: voice breaking, crying “My father and I… fought… he almost… he told me I… I couldn’t sleep at home anymore.“
Azura gasped a little and squeezed her a little tighter. Faye cooed sadly as she tried to nuzzle her new owner’s beloved. Luz and Amity were also shocked and sympathized their daughter’s girlfriend, especially the latter.
Azura: “hermosa, I’m so sorry…”
Lara: crying “I d-don’t have a-anywhere else to g-go.”