DAY 668

"Watch your backside!"

Thaddeus grunts as he dodges away from another swing from Taly's thin blade. "I'm not taking advice from the person trying to stab me!"

"Suit yourself." With a grin, the banshee watches on as a number of arrows fly through the air and slam into the prince's back. None of them stick, of course, their tips having been dulled for this sparring session. They still cause the man to curse up a storm before he resets and prepares for the guardian's next assault, however.

Which comes immediately, and from three angles. The Taly in the center continues to press him with her sword, while two others come in from the left and the right wielding dual daggers. Avoiding the longer reach of his first opponent, the man dashes to the right in a magically-enhanced lunge that claims the banshee's head, and then with a spin and a swing he moves around the back of the swordswoman and impales the other dagger-user with his blade. Seeing this, the original Taly frowns.

"Hey! Those could've been me, you know! And you went right for lethal blows!"

The man grins at her expression. "Unlike some others, I know you'd be fine coming back from a missing head. Besides, I know that this one is the real you." A few more arrows fly out across the training room, but this time Thaddeus dodges them fairly easily.

"Eh? What makes you say that? Maybe I'm just a convincing fake, and the real Taly is bleeding out onto the floor right now."

Her opponent's response is a swing of his own sword, one which comes into contact with the banshee's in a rather noticeable clang. "That. The illusions don't have the proper sound to them. Although the impact of the blades actually feels much the same."

"Aw, dammit!" A frustrated voice calls out from a safe spot outside of the designated training arena. "The sound!? Do you know how big a pain that's gonna be to copy? And who are we training here, me or you?"

Thaddeus turns his head enough to smile at his wife. "A good sparring session is a learning opportunity for all participants, no matter their skill level. Speaking of, your skills with a sword are improving as well, Taly."

"Still not my best." Taly steps back and lowers her blade. "Wanna take a break while Tizzy sets up some new illusions? Also, maybe I should find a new weapon...a polearm, maybe?"

The half-imp grumbles. "What, so I don't have to do sword noises? A staff or something isn't going to be any easier..."

"Dunno what you're talking about - weapon noises are easy." Taly makes her way over to the weapons stand next to the observer's area, and locks eyes with the scout before opening her mouth. What follows next isn't a sentence in any language, but rather a series of noises taken directly from a battlefield. The clanging of swords, the jostling of heavy armor, the crackle of a lightning wand. At one point Tizzy would even swear that she hears the noise of someone being wounded, as if they were off in some distant corner of the room. Shaking her head, she glares at the guardian.

"That's - that's cheating! Banshee voice magic bullshit!" Having said that, a changed expression comes over her face and she drops the accusatory finger she was pointing in Taly's direction. "...Actually, that is just magic, right? Can...can you teach me some of that?"

The change in attitude makes Taly blink. "Ah? Well...it's mostly instinctual, you know? The only magic I learned were my Shadow skills as a Challenger. The banshee stuff just got stuck in my head when I got the body...and now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I lose it when Xenia puts me in something else. Maybe there's some way I can put it into words, though?"

"So there is something you have trouble expressing, then." Thaddeus gives her a smirk before continuing on to his wife, whom he leans over to give a quick peck on the forehead to. "You have been improving, Tizzy, I've certainly noticed. As I said, the blades have that right...vibration to them when they clash with mine, and the blood splatter is much less...comical than it used to be."

"Ahah, yeah, it's hard to be, uh...subtle with some stuff. All or nothing, you know? Though as long as I'm just focusing on a couple of bodies it's not too bad. Still haven't worked up to the half-dozen or so we had with Linda's help, with the solid barriers and all, and the 'Danger Room' stuff Xenia talks about still feels way off."

Taly tilts her head. "Danger room? What sort of dungeon thing is that? Isn't every room a danger room?"

"You'd think so, but apparently it's a thing from one of Xenia's past lives. A training facility that could generate scenarios on the fly with illusions. Also called a 'holodeck'? But that name makes even less sense to me." Tizzy sighs. "I'm making progress with environments, like a forest or a castle hall or something, as long as it's not bigger than this room, but an environment plus people? Plus I don't have the juice to make a whole room full of shit be solid at once, so I've gotta adapt it fast for whatever people are actually touching."

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Thaddeus takes a drink from a pre-prepared mug before asking his wife a question. "That does sound ambitious, but to what purpose? Down here, Xenia is practically a goddess - she's made forests and castles down here, without the need for illusions at all! What benefit does an illusory environment have over a true one?"

"I think Xenia has it in mind for the non-combat stuff she wants to train you on. Apparently, False Mortals are hard to direct with a detailed script, and, uh...from what we saw with Parker way back when, normal people don't always do great with a script either. Sounds like she's been coming up with some...ideas, though, for once my skills are good enough to match up to them."

Whatever Thaddeus's response may have been to that, it's interrupted by the sound of someone new appearing in the training chamber's teleportation circle. The three original occupants all turn to face the newcomer, but only Taly actually manages to recognize her.

"Beatrice! I heard you were back in town! Too bad I wasn't there to greet you - has Sincere had a chance to catch up with you yet?"

The warrior gives Taly a grin, before walking over and giving her a hug. Fortunately she's not wearing her armor so it's not too awkward, although as always her outfit includes enough storage items to contain a small army's worth of equipment. "Ha, not yet! There's no rush though, I've got a couple months here before I need to be anywhere." She steps back and looks over the banshee. "Trying out swords, huh? Thinking you could take me in a duel these days?"

"Haha, maybe if there's no trees nearby for you to drop on my ass! Is that why you came down here - looking for a duel?"

Before she answers, Beatrice narrows her eyes and looks at the married couple. "Duel? Not really. A fight? Just maybe."

"I'm sorry, have we - " The prince's question cuts off as a realization occurs to him. "...I'm sorry, Taly said your name was Beatrice?"

"Yuuup. Heard of me, then?" Beatrice steps closer to the prince with her arms crossed, and while the two are about the same height, her scarred visage and decades of experience certainly lend her an advantage when it comes to intimidation.

"...A few things, here and there. I'd heard that you were once a companion of Xenia and followed her here, although to be honest I wasn't sure that you were actually in this realm any longer."

"Why, cause you thought I'd left, or cause you thought I'd died? Actually, never mind, doesn't matter. The reason I wanted to see you is because I was having a little chat with Xen yesterday, and she happened to mention something about you breaking into my house. And taking some of my shit. Have any comment on that?"

As Tizzy sucks in a breath, Thaddeus does his best to explain himself. "Ah, well, it was nothing personal against yourself, you see. We were simply following Xenia's trail, and we'd heard that you had possessions relating to her. Also that you'd told people not to expect you to return, so it seemed as if there'd be no harm in...inspecting the premises. As for your property, as far as we saw it appeared that you'd taken almost everything with you. There was very little remaining, save for furniture and the like."

"The stuff I left behind was willed to my cousins, to be given to them if I didn't return for twenty years. What did you take?"

"Well...as it happens, I believe it was only this." Thaddeus reaches into the bottomless bag at his own waist, and a moment later he withdraws a chain necklace with a large, clear gem on it. "As it turned out, this was exactly what we needed. Its connection to Xenia was so strong it was able to bring us almost directly here, which was far more efficient than our usual methods. You, ah, may have it back now, of course. Our apologies for...borrowing it."

Instead of taking the offered jewelry, Beatrice rubs her eyes and sighs. "You realize that it has such a strong connection to Xenia because it's part of her remains, right?"

The pair blink, and Tizzy speaks up. "Uh...you mean when she was a sword, right? That...uh, makes some sense, I suppose. We thought you made it from scratch to help track her down. You can still have it back, though! It's not like we need it anymore..."

Beatrice shakes her head, and still doesn't reach out for the necklace. "When Xenia was a sword, her hilt had two gems on it. One black, one clear. I had both turned into soul-tracking artifacts, but I only needed one to come find her here. I left the other one back home so I could use it as my way back. One gem is linked to the other, so with a spell I had prepared I could just go back home if I needed to."

There's a moment of silence as the others realize what it is Beatrice is upset about. Thinking quickly, Thaddeus attempts a new apology. "Ah, I'm sorry, we had no idea. As it happens however I'm quite experienced with realm-travel myself. It may take a bit more time and effort, but I'd be happy to help you return to your home realm if that's what you wish."

Finally taking the artifact held out in the prince's hand, Beatrice spends a long moment looking at it before shaking her head. "I don't...I mean, I don't actually know that I want to go home. Ever, really. There wasn't much left for me there - friends who'd moved on, distant relatives I barely knew, money I didn't need. This one meanwhile seems...almost perfect for me, really." She takes a deep breath and then continues. "But I guess I just really liked the idea that I could go back at any time, if I really needed to. Maybe we can talk about this alternative of yours later, but I probably don't really need it."

"Ah - I entirely understand." Thaddeus nods, relieved that their crimes seem to be forgiven. "If that's not so terrible an issue, perhaps we can get off on a better foot, then? Perhaps with proper introductions - I am Thaddeus Worthy, and this here is my wife, Tizzy Worthy. I see you know Taly, of course."

Beatrice harrumphs. "Heard you were a prince, too, but that's not the title I'm really interested in. I hear you're as good as a Supreme-tier swordsman. Is that right?"

"So it seems, although I've not met any others here with that rank to test myself against."

Beatrice's lips split into a grin. "Me either. So before I forgive you for breaking into my place, how about you give me a chance to kick your ass?"

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