Mysteries of Daraku

"I'm of the Rowan family. Perhaps you've heard of us?" Kathrynne commented. "Though I cannot say I have heard of the Griffith family in from my etiquette lessons. Are you not from around here?" She asked. A very faint smile crossed Jane's lips as she asked that.

Kathrynne then proceeded to take a step back from Ixana as she transformed. A look of disappointment, and a small amount of fear, crossed her face as she did.
"Who, Zara? Or the little girl?" Kathrynne asked, not letting her nerves show in her voice.

He smiled a bit as well and leaned in, not all that bothered at all. "Can you keep a secret?"

"The leader, Zara... tell me everything about her." She said as she walked closer to Kathrynne, "H-Hey, no need to look so dissapointed you know, we are talking, I'm not going to punch you..."

"M-Maybe I should be the one talking?", "You sure? She seems to be having fun teasing you Ix... I mean you are actually pretty cute when you drop the serious facade, you really should leave the serious face to Dixi."

Dixi sighed, "Look, if you are more comfortable with her, I can swap places with Ix, but I really need to know everything you know about this Zara."

"It might be worth knowing something about the child, perhaps related to the past or related to Zara herself which may give us insight about Zara herself.

(Really like that interaction between Kath and Jane. Could imagine the -.-; face on Kath's face)

Kathrynne raised an eyebrow at Ferro.
"Secrets are a powerful tool. And I'm not one for sharing." Kathrynne grinned in response, before resuming her look of disappointment at Ixana, albeit slightly more assured, and less fearful, than her initial reaction.

"She is... how can I best describe her? She's attractive, I guess, I mean, if you are into that sort of look." Kathrynne commented, briefly scratching the back of her neck.

"You mean a luscious figure, striking features, and a general, yet indescribable, wow factor that makes even the purest of people have 'ideas'?" Jane questioned, with no hint of shame. Kathrynne cleared her throat and shot another mildly annoyed look at Jane.

"Anyway, she is calculating, ambitious, and usually prepared for anything. She takes the saying 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer' very literally. And everything she does is an act to get something." Kathrynne added.

"As for the girl, well, she seems like the only person who Zara is 'honest' with. She doesn't talk to her like she's a child, which is rather ironic considering how she addresses everyone else. As for the girl herself, I've never really been able to get a read on her. I've only seen her a couple of times, and never spoke to her myself. But something about her puts me on edge a little..." Kathrynne concluded.

"You really are dissapointed that I'm here now aren't you..." She said before listening to Kathrynne's explanation, "If she's the one who created the corruption... And for your story more and more pieces are coming together, she's the one I'm looking for... I guess it's time for 'patient zero' to kick her ass."

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"That's too bad! But, hey, not everyone are up for it, I guess," he sighed with a hint of sarcasm.

Kathrynne frowned at Ferro.
"You misunderstand me. I do not share secrets. That makes me an excellent keeper of them." She responded, clearly interested in what he had to say.

"And, well, no offence to you, but your other form is simply adorable." Kathrynne responded to Ixana, in a tone that clearly showed she wasn't too concerned about being punched in the face. She then raised an eyebrow. "'Patient Zero'? Have you had dealings with her before?" Kathrynne asked. She looked to Jane, who was seemingly just as clueless on the matter, but was listening particularly intently.

"Apologies then, I must have misheard." (Or the writer misread in his post wake-up haze! XD) He eyed Ixana and gave her a look that seemed to be somewhat stern. She can't go around punching her. "My name's not Alan Griffith."

"I did... Well the original Ixana did, before we split, she tested her corruption on us..." She then looked at Ferro, "What's with that look? I wasn't going to punch her...", "Yes you were going to." replied Xana, "Agh, shut up Xana... Fine, since I'm so scary I'll let the cute one do the talking." "And she got mad, hahahaha."

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Ferro chuckled and walked to Dixi, giving her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before she can switch to Ix.

"What is with you all calling me cute all of the sudden I'm..." before Ix was able to finish her sentence, Dixi changed places with her, "...not cute, I'm serious! ...H-Huh? D-Don't change like that Dixi!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Kathrynne remarked, amused. "Then what, pray tell, is it?"

Jane sighed.
"You really need to learn to pay more attention. You would be surprised what people reveal during the heat of battle." She commented.

Kathrynne was about to respond before Ixana transformed, causing a grin to appear on her face, and an almost predatory glance towards her.
"Ooooh trust me, my dear, you are most definitely cute. Something about your innocence is just... intoxicating. You'd make a fine midara, if you put your mind to it."

Once again, Jane sighed.
"She is a midara, or at least, partially. Though I'm assuming, from the tone taken during the battle, that your midara side is yet another personality, correct? Dixi, Ix and Xana are the names I've made out so far. I'm assuming from the context of 'healing' that you must be Ix. And Dixi is clearly who you just were, which would lead me to conclude Xana is the midara side of you?" Jane concluded. "Of course, I suppose there is a possibility that you have a fourth personality. Perhaps a midara side for both Ix and Dixi. So I cannot be 100% certain with my conclusion."

Kathrynne just looked a little stunned at Jane.

"Amazing deduction," Ferro complimented sincerely. "You're right on the money. Three personalities and you even got the right names." He returned his gaze to Kathrynne. "It's Ferro, Ms. Rowan. Ferro Magia."

"Well... I'm half midara since I was born but I don't remember much of my parents... When our personality splitted Xana took the midara part..." "And Dixi took the mature part and well, the hot blooded part, hahahaha" replied Xana, "Hey Xana I'm mature too damn it!" "You try to look mature but you are the innocence incarnated."

Ix decided to ignore Xana and look at Jane with an impressed look on her face, "That's actually a pretty good deduction Jane, I'm really impressed."

"Magia, you say?" She responded, a thoughtful look on her face. "I see. I believe I have heard of your family." She nodded, then paused for a moment. "Wait, Ferro Magia? I see. I happen to know a thing or two about your family. But do not worry. Your secret is safe with me." She winked.

"It was nothing special. I merely used the facts that had been presented to me." Jane responded, with a sense of humility to her words. "I'm sure that anyone could have come to the same conclusions, if they just paid attention." She added, subtly directing the latter part towards Kathrynne who, ironically, did not seem to notice.

"So......" Kathrynne said, turning to Ixana. "What do you remember of your past? Perhaps I can help... jog your memory." Kathrynne licked her lips, teasingly.

"Thank you very much," he replied. He smiled at the little jab Jane took at Kathrynne. Quite a relationship they had for her to be comfortable with such things.

Yumi is still here if Ix needed someone (small) to hide behind. Strangely she has been rather silent after brokering the deal with Kathrynne, content in leaving Ferro and Ixana to do the talking.

(Apparently I just realized both team have a counterpart of each other Ixana - Kathrynne. Ferro - Victus. Yumi - Jane )

In more ways than one, with Ferro and Kathrynne being from noble families out on their own and Ixana and Victus having suffered sever conditions in the past, and Jane and Yumi being the intelligent eyecandy, though I would imagine that was your initial comparison of the two))

(I promise it wasn't intentional xD maybe it was subconscious though. I did notice it after the fight ended)

"Not much..." She began to say, "Just a town in flames, that's all I remember, then my step father rescuing me from under a pile of rubble..."

She then realized, "Wait... You are a noble Ferro!?" she was really surprised, "Mmm..." Ix started to look at him, "You don't really look like one..."
(They actually look alike yeah xD)

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"Yeah, I'm a noble, he stated. I don't really tell people very often, though," he replied. "And yeah, that's the intent."

She then looked back at Kathrynne, "I can't remember anything else from that... Just the feeling of thinking that I was going to die and then... The happiness of being rescued."

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Kathrynne considered something for a moment, then seemed to shake her head dismissing the idea.
"So, if that's what you remember, how do you know you were corrupted?" She asked, following a different train of thought. Her expression more pensive than the teasing one she'd had just a moment prior.

"I was corrupted three years ago..." Ix replied, "And we know it because it's the same feeling when we fought Lasciel and you."

Ix trembled sighly, "Luckily it was the first time it was test on humans based on what she said... I managed to get free... Then we were three."