Did it matter? No, it didn't. Jail may have been captured and the Numbers stopped, but can you consider it a victory when the one who did so was the reason this mess started. Saint's Cradle was stopped and Vivio saved.
But, they wanted her destroyed. She was too dangerous, they said. Even when Nanoha and Fate pleaded to spare her, they refused.
Big mistake.
Something had snapped inside Vivio that day. The thought of being taken away again. The thought of being killed - a thought she once harbored. She didn't want to experience that again.
They call the day the TSAB fell the day the King returned. Where ever the Saint Kaiser walked, people ran. Mid-Childa would be the first to fall.
...all because they wanted to separate a child from her parents.
The land burned, and all through it, the Saint Kaiser walked. And where she did, people disappeared - like they were dust, like they were dead and gone, like they were nothing more than dreams.
Not everyone disappeared, though - a young man, blonde and red-eyed, and a distinctly odd-looking blue-striped alien. They were still there, merely watching until the young man stepped forward.
"So this is your nightmare, then?" he called out to her, both hands slack and non-threatening at his sides.
‘Only watching’ is a good way to describe what Aeneas was doing, and frankly it was all he wanted to be doing. This was honestly terrifying. Perhaps not as much as his own dream had been, but it was easy to see how someone could be afraid to become something like this.
And though it scared the digestive wastes out of him (that is how the human phrase goes, yeah?), the sheer horror of the nightmare made Aeneas want to help out more. Anything to save this one from a fate like this…
He stood uncertainly behind Sheik, attempting a calming purr. This was easier with his new companion’s backing; he never would’ve been able to do this on his own.
That’s right, Vivio. Come to the big, fluffy alien…
"Nightmare?" Vivio called out, turning to face the two. "This is worse than a nightmare... they... they said I was too dangerous! They wanted to take me away from Nanoha-mama and Fate-mama!"
She approached the two, hearing Aeneas's purring.
"Y...You're here to do that, aren't you?" Vivio said, trying her best to ignore the purr. "You're not going to take my mamas away from me!"
Zelda would be so much better at this, but it was too late for them to change now. "We're not going to take your mamas away from you," he told her gently, keeping his voice steady. "You have my word on this. What's your name? Mine is Sheik, and this -" he gestured to his companion - "Is Aeneas."
Calm and measured and soft, to keep her distracted from destruction. Like talking to a skittish wild animal, really.
Aeneas took a steadying breath, asserting his purr as he calmed himself. If he knew anything about instincts, especially the ones dealing with parental bonds, he knew that the adrenaline rush they caused heightened the senses to amazing levels. This human would smell his fear if he didn’t contain it.
A gentle nod, a disarming lower of the tail and head. It was only then that Aeneas had a sudden flicker of recognition—this girl, he’d met her once. Maybe. Okay, she was vaguely familiar. But still, it was enough to make him wonder…
Still he said nothing. Only the purring; that was all that was needed right now.
"Vivio... m... my name's Vivio Takamachi. Where's my mamas? Please, where are they?" She says, confused. She's slowly coming to, but she's still fighting it a bit.
Takamachi - ah, she had mentioned Nanoha earlier, hadn't she? And Nanoha had mentioned her daughter... "If I know Nanoha," he said gently, "She's fighting the nightmares as well - the sooner we can get you out of this, the sooner we can get you back to her."
Cautiously, he took a step forward, holding a hand out to her. "Vivio, do you remember? The Nightmare King - none of this is real. We're on the ship - you must remember."
Vivio. Oh, that name was painfully familiar. Seemed like a name Matt had mentioned at some point or—
Aeneas blinked, eyes wide. This was Vivio? Vivio, the little, bouncy human child that Matt gave the stuffed toy mammal to when they returned from the Holiday Mission? No, she couldn’t be…?
And—And Nanoha and Fate—yes, he’d seen the three of them conversing during his wanderings! He’d never assumed that they were Vivio’s parents, though, because…wow. Human reproductive abilities were really starting to confuse him.
Of course this was irrelevant, as now Aeneas had some idea of what he was dealing with, and perhaps now he could help out some.
“…And if I know Fate,” the alien trilled with a careful smile creasing his brow, “Then she is doing everything in her power to find you and Nanoha. But she cannot do so without your help.
“You need to wake up, Vivio. We cannot help them until you wake up.”
A dream... this is all that is, isn't it? She clutched her head, trying to understand everything at the moment.
A dream... no, nightmare. The Nightmare King. This was one of HIS dealings. No one was taking her away from Nanoha or Fate.
She dropped to her knees as the dream world faded away, allowing herself to return to her normal, child self. As she did, her Device, Sacred Heart hovered down and patted Vivio, finally able to get to its Master.
Sheik allowed himself a sigh of relief, crossing over to where Vivio was, crouching to meet her at eye level. "It's not over yet," he told her gently, "But it's going to get better, you'll see. We'll get you back to your mamas and beat the Nightmare King, okay? I promise."
[I never knew you were good with children,] Zelda observed, and he smiled a little, not answering straight away.
Straightening up, he offered Vivio his hand, then nodded to Aeneas. "Right - we should go find Nanoha and Fate, now," he told them both.
((OOC: Right! On to Will's thread, unless there's anything that needs to be done here still?))
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no subject
But, they wanted her destroyed. She was too dangerous, they said. Even when Nanoha and Fate pleaded to spare her, they refused.
Big mistake.
Something had snapped inside Vivio that day. The thought of being taken away again. The thought of being killed - a thought she once harbored. She didn't want to experience that again.
They call the day the TSAB fell the day the King returned. Where ever the Saint Kaiser walked, people ran. Mid-Childa would be the first to fall.
...all because they wanted to separate a child from her parents.
no subject
Not everyone disappeared, though - a young man, blonde and red-eyed, and a distinctly odd-looking blue-striped alien. They were still there, merely watching until the young man stepped forward.
"So this is your nightmare, then?" he called out to her, both hands slack and non-threatening at his sides.
((OOC: Order is Vivio - Sheik/Zelda - Aeneas?))
no subject
And though it scared the digestive wastes out of him (that is how the human phrase goes, yeah?), the sheer horror of the nightmare made Aeneas want to help out more. Anything to save this one from a fate like this…
He stood uncertainly behind Sheik, attempting a calming purr. This was easier with his new companion’s backing; he never would’ve been able to do this on his own.
That’s right, Vivio. Come to the big, fluffy alien…
no subject
She approached the two, hearing Aeneas's purring.
"Y...You're here to do that, aren't you?" Vivio said, trying her best to ignore the purr. "You're not going to take my mamas away from me!"
no subject
Calm and measured and soft, to keep her distracted from destruction. Like talking to a skittish wild animal, really.
no subject
A gentle nod, a disarming lower of the tail and head. It was only then that Aeneas had a sudden flicker of recognition—this girl, he’d met her once. Maybe. Okay, she was vaguely familiar. But still, it was enough to make him wonder…
Still he said nothing. Only the purring; that was all that was needed right now.
no subject
"Vivio... m... my name's Vivio Takamachi. Where's my mamas? Please, where are they?" She says, confused. She's slowly coming to, but she's still fighting it a bit.
no subject
Cautiously, he took a step forward, holding a hand out to her. "Vivio, do you remember? The Nightmare King - none of this is real. We're on the ship - you must remember."
no subject
Aeneas blinked, eyes wide. This was Vivio? Vivio, the little, bouncy human child that Matt gave the stuffed toy mammal to when they returned from the Holiday Mission? No, she couldn’t be…?
And—And Nanoha and Fate—yes, he’d seen the three of them conversing during his wanderings! He’d never assumed that they were Vivio’s parents, though, because…wow. Human reproductive abilities were really starting to confuse him.
Of course this was irrelevant, as now Aeneas had some idea of what he was dealing with, and perhaps now he could help out some.
“…And if I know Fate,” the alien trilled with a careful smile creasing his brow, “Then she is doing everything in her power to find you and Nanoha. But she cannot do so without your help.
“You need to wake up, Vivio. We cannot help them until you wake up.”
no subject
A dream... this is all that is, isn't it? She clutched her head, trying to understand everything at the moment.
A dream... no, nightmare. The Nightmare King. This was one of HIS dealings. No one was taking her away from Nanoha or Fate.
She dropped to her knees as the dream world faded away, allowing herself to return to her normal, child self. As she did, her Device, Sacred Heart hovered down and patted Vivio, finally able to get to its Master.
"Everything's... okay..." Vivio said.
no subject
[I never knew you were good with children,] Zelda observed, and he smiled a little, not answering straight away.
Straightening up, he offered Vivio his hand, then nodded to Aeneas. "Right - we should go find Nanoha and Fate, now," he told them both.
((OOC: Right! On to Will's thread, unless there's anything that needs to be done here still?))